Healing Hands and Healing Hearts
by Arizonafan
Summary: Callie and Arizona's first meeting is not what either would have picked. Can each be true to themselves while trying to heal each other's hurts?
1. Chapter 1

This is my first attempt at a fanfic post. Please let me know what you think. I have about six chapters of this story written so far and would love any input as to where it should go or important things that should be included.

I do not own any part of anything. The writers and creator of Grey's are epic geniuses and I could never take any credit... With that being said... Enjoy! Reviews are appreciated!

I will take a…. I guess just a chicken salad. No dressing and light on tomatoes. Also a coke. A large coke, Sgt. Arizona Robbins ordered at her favorite diner in Seattle. Today had been a particularly trying day so far at the department with numerous domestic disputes and fights to start off her long weekend at work. She was hoping to spend the last two hours of her shift quietly.

Arizona had joined the Seattle Police Department six years ago and had quickly worked her way through the scut work to become one of the first ranking females in the department. She valued her position, loved her job (on most days), and prided herself on making a difference. Her five foot five frame topped with blonde hair and blue eyes sometimes made her a target of low expectations and sexism. But she held her own. She proved herself time and time again beginning in the academy. She fought through ground fighting exercises when her male counterparts took advantage of the situation and became slightly too handsy. She took getting tazed and sprayed with police issued pepper spray, and she even received honors as "top shot" for her performance on the shooting range to qualify for patrol duties. She was a solid officer. A smart officer. A good man in a storm. Someone you want on your side in an emergency. And this is what she loved most. She loved helping the battered woman out of a bad situation. She loved comforting the child who had no one else beside her. She loved chasing suspects and talking people down from dangerous situations. She loved slapping the cuffs on a drunk driver and feeling as though she saved a life. What Arizona did not love was what this job did to her personal life. Her last conversation with her girlfriend of three years did not go so well….

_You cannot make me choose Joann. I am not a child and this is not a phase. I love my work. I love you. Just try to see where I am coming from. _

_Arizona, you come home hours after your shift is over, I have to worry everyday if you will even come home to me, I see on the news that there is a shootout and my heart drops not knowing if you are involved. I saw you on the news yesterday at the scene of a vehicle crash and it was the most that I had seen you all week. On Fucking tv! I don't want to worry about you. I don't want to worry about if you are coming home. I don't want to watch you walk out of the door in a bullet proof vest everyday. How can you love this? How can you love knowing that you have to wear that vest. Knowing that people want to shoot you just because of the uniform you wear?... Answer me Arizona. How can you love that more than me. More than someone who will protect you and not run from you or fight you or want to hurt you. …..ARIZONA!_

_I don't….I don't know Joann. I don't know. I am not fucking stupid, I know its dangerous, I know you worry and I am sorry. I never want you to worry. But this is what I love. It is who I am. _

_J- Bullshit. It is not who you are. It is what you do. And you have a choice._

_A choice Joann? Really? _

_J- Arizona… Zona if you walk out of that door, Baby if you leave I wont be here when you get back. I can't do it anymore. _

_Joann, don't do this to me before a shift ok? I have to be focused at work. When I am there thinking about a fight or you being unhappy, that's when things can go bad. That is when I am in trouble. I have to be focused._

_J- Zona, I am going to say it one more time… If you leave, Arizona if you walk out of that door, I am done. _

"_You have got to be fucking kidding me" Arizona mumbled under her breath. "I have to go. I love you." _

_Arizona leaned in to give Joann a kiss on the cheek but Joann turned away before she was able to do so. Strapping on her vest, grabbing her uniform shirt, and holstering her weapon, Arizona walked out of her apartment and down to her patrol car. Sitting in the car with tears streaming down her face she saw Joann enter her own car, and with one passing look, she was gone. _

_I cannot fucking believe she is doing this. _

"Ma'am…. MA'AM…. your salad". Arizona was brought out of her memory by an irritated server at the diner. She realized that the woman's voice caused many other patrons to look her direction. "I…I am sorry. Thank…" Arizona was interrupted by her radio summoning her.

"Headquarters to 120, we have a report of a 20I at the intersection of Barbara Ln. and Hwy 647" Shit, a crash with reports of injuries. Arizona took her radio in her hand and spoke, "10-4, Unit 137 be enroute to that crash and update me with an injury code. I will be enroute." She pulled her Sergeant rank to order another officer to the scene. She remembered that he was in that general area before she got permission to go to lunch and if the crash did indeed have injuries, he would be able to assess them before she arrived and let her know what she was walking into.

As Arizona handed the waitress a 20, she received a saddened smile from an older patron. "Life of a police officer huh" "Yes ma'am" Arizona retorted with a genuine smile. "Feel free to take the salad, I have not touched it" Arizona offered the woman, knowing that she did not have time to eat on the road.

"You be careful baby, it is dangerous for a woman such as yourself out there." Not wanting to get into a sexism debate with the concerned woman, she gave another smile and said

"Yes ma'am, Thank you." With that, Arizona was out the door and in her patrol car.


	2. Chapter 2

Callie's POV

"Everything went well, Ms. Elliott. We were able to repair the break and placed a titanium plate with six screws down the length of the femur. He is going to have a lot of pain and it will take physical therapy to get him weight bearing again. He has a long road ahead of him but he will be ok. But a femur break is serious. He will not be back on the football field anytime soon. He is still sedated but the staff will be lowering his sedation soon and you will be able to see him" Callie explained the progress of an emergency surgery to a distraught parent.

"Thank you Dr. Torres. I can't tell you enough. Thank you."

"Take care ok? I will be back to check on him tomorrow."

After another thank you from Ms. Elliott, Callie was out of the door. "44 hours at the hospital 44 hours. I was supposed to be off of work 20 hours ago! How does that happen? Oh yea, football season and wet roads. That is how it happens." Callie had seen more broken bones and dislocations than she ever cared to discuss again. She was exhausted. Utterly exhausted. "10 minutes Callie. 10 minutes and you will be home" she told herself. Callie entered her car and jumped on Hwy 647, the quickest way home. With a deep yawn, Callie texted Mark "I am exhausted. Can you keep Sophia for a few hours? Just drop her off before you leave for work. Thank you."

"I got this" was Mark's response.

With a sigh, Callie leaned her head back on her headrest and tried to keep her eyes on the road. Ok 7 minutes Callie. 7 minutes. As Callie slowed behind traffic then progressed through a green light, she saw a sign on the vehicle in front of her reading "Baby On Board." She focused her attention back on the vehicles on the road. "That car needs to slow down. He had a red light… He isn't slowing down. SHIT! Callie's saw the vehicle in front of her get struck on the passenger side by the speeding car. Before she had time to react, her face slammed into her own airbag. She was struck by the vehicle in front of her which spun with the impact and slammed into her driver's side.

"Fuck. What the hell was that. Dumb ass never slowed down. Ow.. ok think Callie. Keep your neck still just in case, face hurts but I don't seem to be bleeding. A quick inspection of her arms and hands showed nothing abnormal. Then she felt a searing pain in her left leg. She looked down to see her thigh impaled by her own door. There was blood. A lot of blood, already. "Shit. Ok stay calm. Put pressure on the cut." Callie pressed her hands hard to the cut but blood seeped through her fingers. "Help is coming. Just stay calm. The more excited you get the more blood you will lose. Stay calm. Breathe" Callie talked out loud to herself trying to calm. "This is a lot of blood. Please get here soon…" she closed her eyes and tried to think of anything to take the pain away. Anything to calm her increasing anxiety.

Arizona's POV

"137 to 120, I am on scene, looks like a three vehicle crash. One code bravo, one code delta, three code charlies."

Shit, the crash was bad. The bravo code meant that someone was severely injured and might not live. The code charlies meant visible severe injuries but conscious and alert. The code delta, the least worrisome, meant minor to moderate injury. "I am 4 minutes out. Start traffic control and get an ambulance out there ASAP" Arizona ordered into the radio.

"10-4 ma'am" the other officer obeyed.

As Arizona arrived on scene, she turned on her strobe lights to warn other motorist that there was an emergency and to slow down. She promptly put on her reflective traffic vest so that she could be easily seen in the hazy Seattle weather, and she ran to the vehicle. How the fuck did I beat the ambulance here?

"Terry, Terry! Where is the code bravo?"

"Middle vehicle ma'am."

She hurried over to the middle vehicle and noticed a white female strewn over the both the driver's and passenger's seat with blood covering her face. The injuries were bad. Obvious tibia break, obvious clavicle break, significant head injuries. Lots of blood loss. Just as she began to grab the motorist's wrist to check for a pulse she heard a faint cry.

Was that a fucking cat? What is that?

She heard the cry again, a breathless faint sound. A fucking baby?

"Where is the baby?" Arizona shouted to Terry who was immersed in traffic control.

"Terry where is the baby?"

"What baby ma'am? I did not see a baby" he hollered over the noise of the traffic.

Fuck. Arizona listened intently and heard the cry again. It was close. Possibly in the car but she did not see it. Looking again in the back seat she saw the bottom portion of an overturned baby carried on the floor board. She threw herself over the unconscious body in the front of the vehicle and grabbed the car seat, turning it over to reveal a baby boy covered in blood from a bad gash on his forehead.

"Terry tell headquarters to get that goddamn ambulance here! There is an infant in the car!"


	3. Chapter 3

Arizona, as gently as possible, took out the car seat and ran to a grassy area where she knew she was out of the way of inattentive rubber neckers who wanted to catch a glimpse at the wreck. She gingerly sat the baby down still inside of his seat and ran to her vehicle grabbing her emergency bag which contained various medical equipment and sprinted back. "Where the fuck is the ambulance" she murmured breathlessly.

"120 to Headquarters, I need an ETA on rescue. Also get Fire department enroute for extrication" Callie asked her dispatchers for an estimated time of arrival for addition help.

After a few seconds, she received her reply…"Heaquarters to 120, ETA on the ambulance is 15 minutes. Fire and rescue enroute. ETA 30"

15 fucking minutes? They could die in 15 minutes and I do not have enough equipment for this many people. Shit. She turned her focus back to the ailing baby. He seemed to be calm, a little too calm for an infant who endured a trauma. He is loosing blood. Without taking the child out of the carrier due to possible neck injuries, she held pressure to a gause pad on his little forehead. His eyes fluttered shut and opened again and again. Blood had run down the length of his face, entering both eyes and covering his nose and lips. He coughed slightly causing blood to spray from his mouth. Shit, this isn't good.

"Stay with me baby, you will be ok." She rubbed his little chest a little harder than she should to try to keep him awake. As she looked back to assess to crash while still caring for the injured infant, she saw her. A dark skinned, raven haired woman stared at her with frightened eyes as she saw her attempts to comfort the child. The woman, the miraculously beautiful woman, mouthed words to her but she was unable to understand them. She focused hard on the woman's mouth and saw her ask "come here." Fuck, I can't leave this baby, he is bleeding.

Turning back Arizona yelled, "It is ok ma'am, the ambulance is on its way. Try to remain calm. They are on the way!"

Callie's POV

"Ok, police are here. It is only a matter of time now." Callie watched as a blonde haired woman in a police uniform and a neon vest ran past her. Screaming at the other police officer. "She ran right past me and to the other car. Why did she just pass me up? Ok calm down, they might be injured more severely than you. That's all. She will come back. Paramedics are never far behind police. It will be soon. Breathe. In. Out. Breathe."

Callie watched intently as the female officer continued to scream. She could not hear the words but the officer looked frantic. "I hope that driver is ok. Is that a car seat? Shit. It is a car seat. The baby is covered in blood." Callie kept her eyes focused on the officer who carried the car seat and infant out of the street and tried to stop the bleeding. She left the infant and left Callie's sight whose eyes were intently watching the infant. "It looks like he is pulling at the straps. He is losing color. He cannot breathe. Where did that cop go? He cannot breathe!"

"Ma'am! The baby! Her voice comes out ragged and strained. "Ok there she is. Get him out of that seat. Ma'am! Get him out!" She can't hear me. I try honking my horn but it is completely trashed now that the airbag had deployed. I try screaming again and she turns to look at me. Her eyes, she is so scared. "Come here" I mouth, knowing that she will not hear my direction over the ambient noise. "Come here!" I say again. She breaks eye contact and looks away. Dammit.

Arizona's POV

Arizona prided herself on remaining calm and strong through traumatic situations. She was calm. She was strong. But she was also human. She looked down to the child and his still fluttering eyes and she felt a tear escape her eye. Wiping it away on her shoulder, she tired to refocus. Glancing back at the woman she saw that she was now motioning to her slowly with her hand. She was waving her hand at her, asking her to come closer. Feeling absolutely helpless and wanting to ease her mind, she gingerly picked up the child and rushed to the aid of the woman in the car. She could see that the front end of her vehicle was crushed, leaving her legs pinned under the dashboard.

"Ma'am, the ambulance is coming. I am sorry you are hurting. They are coming. I cannot move you, I will cause more damage to your body. I am sor…"

"no..no, unstr…. Unstrap the…." Hoarse and breathless words left the Latina.

"What? What are you saying?" Arizona asked flustered and worried.

"I.. I am a doctor. Sea….ttle Grace. The woman said struggled through her own pain to speak.

"unstrap him."

"Untrap the baby? I can compromise his neck, I cannot unstrap him."

"He needs to breathe, unstrap him."

Not knowing what else to do and taking the woman at her word, she unstrapped the infant.

"Lay him flat… and…and elevate… his head" The woman's words were stronger now, more clear. "Keep pressure to… to his forehead. Life his chin with your…. other hand".

Arizona did as she was told. She did not like to not be in control, to not know the answers, and she especially did not like it when the smallest of lives were in her hands.

"That's it" the voice reassured her. Straps were tight. Blood in his airway… needs to breathe" Callie struggled to get the words out to help the officer with the child. Fighting through her own pain she watched as the child came to.

Without the binding straps which had tightened during the crash, the infant slowly began kicking his legs and flailing his arms, visibly terrified. He let out small cry before belting an ear piercing scream which showed his discontent. Arizona had never heard a more beautiful sound. He was going to be ok. She helped him be ok. She and the beautiful woman beside her. She glanced to the woman who had helped her save the infant's life just in time to see her eyes roll back and her head slump to the side. Shit.


	4. Chapter 4

Callie's POV

"Shit just look at me again. Ah there!" I wave my arm as quickly as I can but see that it comes out in slow motion. She comes to me with the baby. She talks to me about an ambulance and pain. If she would just listen, I don't care about my pain… just listen to me!

I explain as quickly as I can that she needs to release the baby from the car seat. She argues with me, probably doing as she was taught and protecting a fragile neck. I try to convince her and she does it. As soon as the baby is not bound by the tight straps he comes to life. My head starts to swim as I see her trying to allow him to breathe. My eyes are heavier now and I cannot fight their weight. I hear his cries. Then nothing.

Arizona's POV

Thank God, another responding officer arrives on scene and I scream at him to take my place with the child. Hastily explaining how to hold the child and allowing him to cry, I move to the woman in the rear car, the woman who had been so selfless when she had been equally as traumatized. Bad gash on her left leg. Metal from the door cut into her scrub clad thigh. "God these old cars are like death traps" I thought out loud and silently cursed the doctor's vintage t-bird. Grabbing a tourniquet from my bag, I reach in through the window and try to place it under her thigh. After a good bit of fighting, I am able to lift her pinned leg enough to place the material underneath. I quickly tie it above the gash and began applying pressure. I did not glove my hands before running to assist, cursing myself as I saw blood on both hands and on my right sleeve. I hear the screams from other injured motorists. I hear the infant's cries. I glance to the motionless woman in the middle car. As the gravity of the situation hits me, I did something that I had not done for years. I bowed my head, closed my eyes, and prayed. I prayed for the lives of all involved. I prayed for the life of the amazingly selfless woman whose blood now covered both of my hands, and I prayed that I could find a way to take away their pain. As I begin speaking these words out loud, looking for help from the heavens, I hear the wail of sirens as the ambulance approached.

"Six subject involved, possible fatality in middle car, infant injured but breathing, airway is clear, lead car has one code delta and two code charlies, I have not seen their injuries, this one is a code Charlie with blood loss. Pulse is weak and thready. Wound has been tied off but she will need to be extracted. Fire department is enroute to assist with extrication. We need a line for a field transfusion. She is still bleeding through the gause and the tourniquet." Arizona knew that this was unconventional and that normally their injuries would be assessed and treated after extrication. But she knew that something had to be done. This one was not going to wait. She was not going to die on her watch.

Arizona held the bag of O negative blood as the fire department cut through the steel doors of the vintage t-bird. The paramedic had started an IV in her left arm to try to replace some of the blood that had been lost. The piercing sound of the saw cutting into metal deafened her. If the beautiful doctor would be awake to see this she would surely contest the cutting of his beautiful machine. She focused on her imaginary dialogue that this woman would have with firemen to keep as much of her car intact as possible. The thoughts kept her from thinking about the fact that the woman was quite possibly dying in the car while they waited helplessly outside of her window.

The woman in the middle car had since been pronounced deceased on scene by paramedics, the three teenagers in the lead car which caused the accident were transported to the hospital as well as the infant who was screaming with all of his might. He had been given a good prognosis and the wound had stopped bleeding before he was placed in the back of the ambulance. She was able to see his little arms and legs flailing in a fit of fear before they closed the door. As much as she wanted to go comfort that child, she was not leaving the doctor's side.

"Please pull through, just pull through. You don't get to die tonight ok? Open your eyes." As she pleaded with the unconscious doctor, the cut door fell off of the vehicle, giving the responders full access to her limp body. Arizona handed off the bag of blood and grabbed a neck brace from the paramedic. Placing it gently around the neck of the Latina, she then grabbed her shoulders, keeping her head evenly placed between her own arms as she turned her body to extricate her from the vehicle. Paramedics placed the backboard underneath the doctor's shoulders and Arizona was able to drag the doctor backwards onto the board. It was then that she saw the name tag pinned to the waistband of her scrub pants. Dr. Callie Torres. "You will be ok Dr. Callie. I promise, you will be ok." As she handed over the backboard to the second paramedic she whispered to no one in particular "take care of her ok? " Arizona watched as the Doctor was wheeled to the waiting ambulance and saw the shake of her body as they lifted the stretcher into the back. She saw her head shake from side to side with the movement of the stretcher as it locked into place. And the doors closed, and she was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Arizona took a deep breath, leaned her forehead against the mangled piece of metal which used to be the beautiful doctor's beautiful car. After two long deep breaths, she pushed the visions out of her mind and grabbed a bottle of saline water which she kept in her truck. Pouring it over her hands and arms and scrubbing them, she was able to rid herself of most of the blood. The underside of her fingernails were still tinted dark red, she would clean that later. She needed to assist with traffic.

After three more hours of waiting for the coroner to remove the deceased motorist, three wrecker trucks to remove the rubble, and a clean up crew to clear up the streets, she finally was able to enter her patrol unit and head home. "Only an hour and a half late. That's not bad" she thought.

"120 to Headquarters. I am 10-7 from shift."

"10-4 ma'am" the dispatcher acknowledged her signing off from duty. Turning her radio off as she exited her car at her apartment, she dreaded walking into the apartment which she was sure would be empty. "Maybe she came around" she thought. "Maybe she is waiting with a big glass of wine and an apology." Without even scanning the parking lot for Joann's vehicle, she walked up to her front door. With a heavy sigh, she leaned her forehead against the door. She smelled like… like dried blood and sweat. And she was dirty. She saw that the blood which she had previously only seen on her sleeve now was splattered on the front of her uniform. "Great" she thought. Blindly inserting her key into the lock she opened the door. There standing in the kitchen she saw Joann. "Thank God," she breathed.

"What the fuck happened to you?" she heard Joann shriek.

"There was a crash" was Arizona's tired response.

"Were you in the crash? Where did the blood come from?"

"No, I wasn't. It's from a baby. The cut was so bad. He was bleeding all down his little face."

"Ugh that's disgusting" Joann retorted.

As she sat on the couch she leaned back closing her eyes, too tired to contest that it was not disgusting, it was beautiful and that she helped save a life. She opened her eyes to see Joann standing in front of her.

"Baby can we just go to sleep, we can talk tomo…" It was then that she noticed a bag slung over Joann's shoulder. "What is that?"

"My clothes."

"Why?"

"Arizona I meant what I said." 

" No Joann…No."

"I love you Arizona. So much So much that I can't watch you come home bloody and defeated everyday. You were the light of my life. Always made me smile. Laughed with me. Now, now you are a typical cop. Gaining weight, unhappy, jaded. I cant see what this does to you."

"Joann I am not unhappy. I am tired. The things I have seen, that baby… "

"No Arizona, I don't want to hear it. I don't want to know about dead babies and crashes and shootings and shit. I don't want to hear it. It is depressing. It is not you. You are rainbows and sunshine and smiles. Not dead babies Arizona. Not dead babies."

"It isn't dead Joann. I saved it!"

"But next time it will be! Don't you see? You know what, it isn't even the baby,.. its… forget it. I love you ok?" With that, she was gone.

Arizona was left in her apartment, defeated, tired, bloody… "I saved him Joann. I saved him. I just needed a minute to breathe."

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Arizona woke around midnight still in her uniform on the couch. It took her several seconds to reorient herself to where she was, why she was still in uniform, and why no on was beside her. With a heavy heart and her head hung low, blonde strands falling onto the porcelain skin of her face, she stripped herself of her duty belt and her bloody uniform top. She had made her way into the bathroom and looked up into the mirror to see a smudge of blood on the right side of her neck. Clad in only her uniform pants, her bullet proof vest, and her undershirt, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Is this what I have become? A lonely jaded cop. A fat lonely jaded cop? As her insecurities bubbled to the surface, something that she had tried for the past 7 years to push down so as to make herself as resistant and as strong as possible, she lost all resolve. She pushed her back against the wall and slid down, sitting in a pile on the floor and sobbing into her hands. "I saved a life today. I saved a life, maybe two, and she acts like I did something wrong." She gingerly stripped herself of her vest and the rest of her clothes and stepped into the shower. Not allowing the water to warm up, she was shocked by the frigid waters that hit her front. Taking slow and calculated breaths, she stayed in the cold water as punishment. For what she did not know. She washed her hair and her body, trying to rid herself of the images of the day. Joann leaving, the dead woman in the car. The baby bleeding and not breathing. Callie. Callie. I wonder how Callie is . I wonder if they were able to get her back.

Stepping out of the cold shower, she allowed her thoughts to remain with Callie. The beautiful black hair and her tanned skin. Her dark eyes fixated on her as she worked on the infant. The smooth skin of her thigh which was exposed after she ripped her scrub pants. The look of the woman with her eyes closed and lips light and dry from blood loss. She pulled on a pair of jogging pants, her favorite pair of Nike shoes, and a black PD sweatshirt that she was given when she joined the force. Not wanting to be alone tonight, she walked outside to her new Jeep . She had bought the car nearly eight months ago but due to her work schedule, it had less than 4000 miles on it and still smelled new. She buckled her seatbelt and hit the road, unsure of where she was going or why. She turned her radio on to drown out the silence in the vehicle. It was trips like this that she and Joann could sit with no radio and talk for hours. Holding hands on the way to their destination. The silence now was deafening.

_He will do one of two things, he will admit to everything._

_Or he'll say he's just not the same_

_And you'll begin to wonder why you came_

_Where did I go wrong I lost a friend_

_Somewhere along in the bitterness and_

_I would have stayed up with you all night_

_Had I known how to save a life_

Fuck. The radio was turned off quickly, not wanting to be reminded of saving lives or losing lives. She closed her eyes for two seconds and when she opened them she saw the lit sing of Seattle Grace hospital. "Dr. Callie works here. It is the closest hospital to the crash, they would have had to take her here. Maybe I will check to see how she is doing. No it will just make things worse, I couldn't handle it if she didn't make it. But she was stable, she had to have made it. She was strong. I can tell." Arizona continued her internal dialogue as her vehicle turned into the parking lot. Parking in the nearest parking space, turning off her vehicle, and resting her forehead on her steering wheel, Arizona said her second prayer… "Please just let her be ok."


	6. Chapter 6

This is a super long chapter, but Callie and Arizona meet again. There are a few surprises to come and Sophia will be introduced soon. For those who are concerned… Mark is the father. And he is involved. I hope you enjoy… I know it is kind of a slow start, bear with me! Thank you all for the reviews and please send more with each new chapter. Also any suggestions as to story lines or interesting turns please give me a holler. I would love to see them.

The Reunion:

"My name is Arizona Robbins… I worked a crash earlier today and Callie Torres was involved. I just wanted to check her status" Arizona told the nurse at the nurse's station.

"Are you family ma'am?"

"No."

"Then I am sorry, I cannot give you any information."

Head hung low but giving an understanding smile, Arizona said a quick "ok" and began to walk out of the building.

"Are you the officer that stayed with her?" Arizona turned and met eyes with a red haired, fair skinned, slender, beautiful woman wearing a white coat.

"I am" Arizona whispered.

"Well we cannot give you any information, and she is sleeping right now, but if you would like to see her, we can extend visiting hours for another 10 minutes if you like." The woman gave her a small smile and her eyes seemed to have a sparkle. She must know Callie.

"I would appreciate that. Thank you." Arizona was led to a sterile white room which smelled like all the other hospitals she remembers. She looked through the window of the wooden door as they entered and saw her on the bed, covered in a thin white sheet. She could see the bulge of the wrapping covering the doctor's leg as she scanned her body. She is alive. She is breathing. No tubes. No monitors. She was going to be ok. Arizona watched in silence as Callie's chest rose and fell rhythmically. She then looked up to the doctor's face and noticed that her lips which she had previously seen as pale and dry were now the most gorgeous shade of pink. Her mouth was slightly agape and Arizona noticed her perfect teeth behind them. She was entranced. So much so that the pretty doctor behind her startled her when she placed a hand on the small of her back to escort her further in the room. "Oh, thank you, I am sorry. I just wanted to make sure she was ok, I do not need to stay."

"Well I think you might want to" the doctor smiled. "She was asking anyone and everyone to give her the name of the woman who helped her. She told us how you saved the baby. She said you were amazing. I think she might want to see you."

"The baby? Is he here? How is he? I am sorry for being rude, Arizona Robbins" she stated as she held out her hand.

"Lexie Grey" the doctor responded as she grasped her hand. "The baby is well. We are waiting for family to come be with him. His mother died at the crash…. Well I guess you know that already, I am sorry."

"No, it is ok. I am glad he is ok. Is there any way I can see him?"

"If you come back tomorrow then we can see what we can do. He is in ICU at the moment due to aspirating blood and the deep cut. I am sure we could pull some strings to allow you to see him during visiting hours. I am sure he would love to see you as well. Almost as much as this one would…" Lexie said nodding to Callie. Lexia slipped out of the room leaving both women alone. With a deep reassuring breath, Arizona moved closer to the bed. "It was now or never."

Arizona slowly walked over the Callie's beside and pulled up a stool. She sat down as silently as possible. Not knowing what to say or how to say it, she just stared at the gorgeous woman in front of her. Callie inhaled quickly and turned her head away from Arizona, causing several strands of hair to fall across her face. Arizona softly swiped The backs of her fingers across Callie's cheek bone, moving the hair behind her ear. Callie slowly turned toward her and opened her eyes painfully slow. At first a look of confusion, then a grin spread across Callie's dark face. Arizona returned a smile more radiant than Callie had ever seen. Her dimples the perfect addition to the beautiful face that looked so scared earlier in the day.

"Dr. Torres, I am Sgt. Arizona Robbins. I was with you today after your crash. You helped me with the baby who had been hurt. Ah it is so good to see you awake. You are much more beautiful when you have blood in you."

Wow, did I really just say that? When you have blood in you?

"Well not that you weren't beautiful when you didn't have blood in you. I just mean… Ok… Let's start over. I am Arizona… I am so glad that you are ok."

"Hi Arizona." Callie broke into a smile. She said extending her hand which was covered in tape due to a IV and still had several small cuts from the broken glass. Arizona took her hand softly and smiled at the doctor. Arizona's mind wandered to how soft the Latina's hand was and how warm. How deep and beautiful her eyes are and how perfect her skin is. And those lips… ah those lips. "I am Callie. But I guess you already know that."

"I do… I saw your name tag as we took you out of the car."

"Ah, I see." Callie shuttered at the thought of her unconscious body having to be moved by strangers. Even if it was one of the most intriguing strangers she has ever met. " Arizona I am so glad to see you. I would not have been able to live with myself if I did not get the chance to meet you and tell you thank you. Honestly. For everything."

How did she know what I did for her? She was unconscious through most of it. All of it in fact. "Well I really was not able to do much for you. You were trapped in the car. I was just able to apply pressure to your cut and hold a bag for a transfusion as they were cutting you out. I wanted to do so much more but I couldn't. I couldn't get in that damn car." Arizona's voice began to fade and she dropped her head, fighting the tears that came. She did not know why she was crying, everything had turned out fine, great even. She was never this emotional.

Gently touching with her right hand the side of Arizona's face, Callie spoke "Arizona you saved me. You saved that baby. I did not know half of the details of what you did for me until you just told me. I was thanking you for trying. For listening to me. For taking the time to listen to me to help that child. I was so scared. Focusing on you and that baby, talking you through it, it calmed me. I felt like I was back at this hospital doing it myself. You kept me focused, ignoring my pain, my fear. I held onto your eyes for as long as I could. I heard the baby crying. And that was it. I don't remember anything else."

Arizona responded to Callie's touch by leaning further into her palm. Her touch felt so good, so warm, so caring. Everything she was trying to be for Callie. "Shouldn't these roles be reversed here? Shouldn't I be comforting you?"

"You did. Sgt. Robbins. You were strong. You were amazing. Thank you. So much."

"Well thank you for helping me. I would not have been able to live with myself if I let that baby die. I felt so helpless, ya know? They teach us how to do CPR, how to tie off a wound, how to support a neck injury… All of that was going through my head and I did not even check the straps on his car seat. Something so simple."

"You saved him Arizona. Hang onto that ok? I hear he is doing great. I just am so sad for him, being without his mother now. I cannot imagine."

Being reminded of the life lost hit Arizona once again. The baby that she helped save was now without a mother. Had his whole life ahead of him without the most important person in his world. Arizona's head hung low again. "Well they didn't give me much time with you. I better get going. I do not want to step on any toes or break any rules. I just needed to make sure you were ok. And to tell you thank you."

"Arizona, I highly doubt that anyone is going to remove you from my room unless I specifically order them to do so. Why don't you just stay a while? All of my friends left, my family is still out of the country, and it would be nice to not go to sleep alone."

Arizona flashed her perfect smile "Ok. If you want me to stay I will stay. But if someone comes in here ushering me out, I am blaming it on you."

"If someone comes in here ushering you out, you can definitely blame it on me. You can then laugh as I kick their ass out of my room. Try to rest ok? You look exhausted."

Callie did not know just how exhausted Arizona really was. She opened her mouth to speak but could not find the words. She wanted to tell Callie everything. Everything that had happened. But she did not know why. She had made it a habit to bury her sorrows before coming home so that she does not burden someone else. Callie seemed to care. And this crash had done a number on her emotions for some reason. But this was not the place. And she did not want to burden this stranger, this amazingly beautiful stranger, with her stupid problems. So she watched as Callie smiled gently, said "goodnight", and "thank you again", and closed her eyes. Arizona sat for what seemed like hours watching Callie sleep, watching the movement under her eyelids, the rise and fall of her chest. She even saw when she entered dreams and began displaying the slightest twitches of her face and hands. Arizona hoped that her dreams were good ones. Seeing her hands laying on the white sheet below her, she gently ran her fingers across a few of the scratches the covered her fingers and hand. She rested the backs of her fingers on the back of Callie's hand for several seconds before snaking her fingers underneath her palm and squeezing slightly. Callie's fingers hung loosely around Arizona's hand. Arizona slowly turned her hand over, exposing the skin on Callie's palm. It when then, for the next two hours, that Arizona traced every line of her palm. Every scar, every scratch. She learned the look and feel of her skin. The warmth, the turn of each line. She closed her eyes and felt the skin beneath her. It was as calm and as comfortable as she had been in years. And she was experiencing it with a woman that she barely knew. One she had just met. One that mystified her and made her heart ache. One that, under any other circumstances, she would consider herself lucky to meet. Arizona's eyes were heavy with exhaustion. Callie's rhythmic breathing and the warmth and comfort of her body so close to Arizona finally lulled her to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

_STAY WITH ME! DO YOU HEAR ME? STAY WITH ME! Arizona screamed as she tried to stop the bleeding with her own hands. There was so much blood. Blood was seeping through her fingers and had covered the thigh of her beautiful woman before her. Don't leave me. Do not leave me, dammit. Open your eyes. She screamed aimlessly into the night, her eyes blinded by the flashing red and blue lights from her own crashed police vehicle. She tried to focus her eyes on anything other than the light and the woman in front of her. Strewn all across the road were bodies, so many bodies. How did this happen? How am I the only one that is not hurt? I did not even see the car! She glanced back down to the woman in her hands and found her open brown eyes pleading with her. Arizona she mumbled. She tried to reply with a "You will be ok" but her words were cut off by another "Arizona." She heard the words coming from the woman's mouth but her lips were not moving. Arizona…. Arizona… A touch on her shoulder… Arizona!_

Arizona's eyes shot open… "Arizona… you were having a nightmare sweetie, are you ok?" Arizona mumbled an audible "fuck" which caused Callie to lower her eyebrows and stare into Arizona's beautiful blue eyes. "Are you ok? You were breathing hard and mumbling, you were squeezing my hand. I am sorry to scare you."

Arizona broke eye contact and looked down to see that she was still holding Callie's hand in her own.. Her knuckles were white from squeezing and Callie's poor fingers were a bright red from the blood not being able to escape her fingertips. "Shit I am sorry. Im sorry. Just a dream. You were there. Fuck I have to go what time is it?"

"It is only 4 am sweetheart. Seriously, are you ok?"

The sound of Callie calling her sweetheart sent Arizona's heart fluttering. She felt butterflies in her stomach and an intense blush creep across her face. Wow, butterflies. I have not had those in years. "I am uh… yea I am ok. Bad dream is all. I am sorry about your hand. Is it ok? I am really sorry."

"Ssshhh, it is fine. Relax. You didn't hurt me. Do you want to talk about it?"

Truth is she didn't, she was used to the dreams. She was used to the memories of her work invading her sleep. It was how she processed the things she saw. She never needed to go to counseling after an event, never needed time off, her dreams were how she came to terms with events, with death, with crime. Her dreams were always able to show her how bad things could have gone and made her appreciate that things did not happen the way her dreams showed her.

"Arizona…. Talk to me…."

"It was just a nightmare. It happens a lot. It's ok. I deal with them. You don't need to hear about it. Trust me."

"Try me. If I didn't want to know I wouldn't ask. You look so upset. Let me help".

The sincerity in Callie's eyes touched a place that Arizona thought had died years ago. She felt it in the pit of her stomach, she felt as though if she saw those eyes any longer she would cry. Not because she was sad or upset, but because no one had looked at her that way in such a long time. She had been so many things to so many people, a hero, a villain, a pain in the ass, a ticket giver, a life saver, but she had never experienced someone looking into her soul, wanting to know her deepest scariest dreams, being interested and caring.

"It was just a crash. I think I caused it, my patrol unit was busted up. I crashed your car pretty good. And you were there and dying and I couldn't help you. And I looked around and there were 20 maybe 30 other people that were hurt or dead. I stayed with you but I couldn't save you."

"Aw sweetheart. That crash shook you up didn't it?" Callie quickly lowered the bed rail and pulled Arizona in for a tight hug. One hand resting on the small of her back and the other hand wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Arizona sat still for several second before relaxing into the hug. She took a breath and breathed in the most intoxicating smell that she had ever experienced. Her face deep in Callie's raven hair, she smelled honeysuckle and orange and an intoxicating perfume. She buried her face into Callie's neck and breathed deep, wanting to remember the scent after she had to part with the stunning woman in her arms.

Arizona was the first to break the hug, giving a slight smile and an "I'm sorry", she raised herself up off of the stool, pushed it back into place and looked at Callie.

"I have work at 7, I need to get going. I am so glad that I saw you. I couldn't stop thinking about you after the crash. I was worried. Which seems silly because I don't even know you."

"I was worried about you too."

"Why? Why were you worried about me?"

"Just… you looked scared. I wanted to help."

"You are… amazing Callie. To think about someone else when you were in so much pain and so scared. I have never met anyone like that."

"Well isn't that exactly what you did? You were terrified of losing that baby and you maintained control and had the presence of mind to come to me when I was calling you. You were scared and you helped me. We are the same."

Arizona thought deeply, "Yea I guess we are."

XXXXXXX

"Hey how about you grab us some coffee and we talk a little bit more. It is three hours until your shift and I want to know more about you. That is unless you need some more sleep. You probably do don't you? I am sorry, go get some sleep. I can wait."

Arizona sat stunned, listening to the ramblings of possibly the most gorgeous, empathetic woman she had ever met. She could not help the smile from creeping across her face. Callie saw this smile and became bashful of her rants. "I would love coffee with you Callie. Are you sure that you can have it being that you area patient here and all?"

"Oh I can have my coffee. And I will have my coffee. Walk to the nurses station, ask for Lexie, tell her I sent you for coffee. She will hook you up, then you can come back to me."

"Ok. If you say so."

Arizona left, did as she was told, and entered the room with two hot cups of coffee. Handing Callie her cup, she sat back on the stool. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Tell me about yourself. I should probably know more than just the name of the beautiful woman who saved my life."

Did she just call me beautiful? There is no way. Isn't she straight? Of course she is straight. An adorably sweet beautiful straight woman. But she held my hand. Rather she didn't pull away when I held her hand. Probably because she couldn't I was holding it so tightly. Beautiful huh…. I could get used to that.

"Well Dr. Torres, I am Arizona Robbins. Sergeant Arizona Robbins of Seattle Police Department. 7 years in August."

"Arizona is such a pretty name."

"Thank you. Most people think that I was named for the state, but it's not true. I was named for the battleship. My grandfather was serving on the Arizona when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He saved 19 men before he drowned."

"Wow. A long line of life savers. I am in good company."

"I am no life saver Callie. But that is flattering. Thank you. Tell me about yourself."

"I am Calliope Torres, Callie preferably. I have been an Ortho Surgeon here for the last 4 years. Family hails from Mexico. I moved to the states when I was 8. My family lived in Miami, I moved here after med school and have been here ever since."

"Calliope…. I love that." Arizona repeated the most unique and beautiful name she had ever heard. Was there anything about this woman that wasn't intriguing?

"Hm…. Normally I do not like people calling me Calliope… "

"Oh…I am sorry, it is just a beautiful name."

"Oddly, it is alright. I kind of the like the way you say it."

"Well then, Calliope it is" Arizona said with a sheepish grin.

Callie smiled. "What brought you to police work?"

"Eh…long boring story."

"I have time."

"Actually it is a personal story."

"Oh. I am sorry. I didn't mean to push. Of course you don't have to tell me. Im sorry. Let's start off smaller… What is your favorite food?"

Arizona smiled, not at the question but at the genuine sweetness of the moment. She was completely lost in Callie. In love with her smell, with her touch. With the color of her eyes. She tried to find a reason to leave and walk away, not wanting to set herself up to fail again, not wanting to give too much of herself to Callie when she was in a vulnerable state. But she couldn't. She couldn't walk away. She couldn't lie about having a meeting or an early shift the way she sometimes did with Joann. She couldn't imagine that this woman would ever be like Joann. But she pushed the comparisons out of her head. "Just be in the moment" she told herself. "Just enjoy this moment." And she did.


	8. Chapter 8

This will be the last update of the night. Updates will probably come slower now that I am still writing the additional chapters. I wanted to get the first few up and see if people liked it. Thank you all for the reviews. I promise that the story will progress past the first night. It won't always be butterflies and rainbows, but hopefully it will still be interesting to you all. Thank you so much for the great reviews. Definitely motivating to finish up the rest of the chapters. This will probably be a long one…. Hope y'all are in for the long haul! Goodnight guys.

The two women discussed favorite foods, colors, parents' names, high school mascots, everything they could think of that they wanted to know about the other. Arizona felt herself relaxing with the stunning brunette. She watched Callie talk for a minute or so, not hearing exactly what she was saying, but loving the way it sounded. She watched how her eyes changed with her expressions and how she used her hands to act out her thoughts. Callie caught her gaze and smiled. After a few comfortable seconds of silence Arizona took a deep breath and blurted out… "My girlfriend was raped." Surprising herself with her disclosure she looked at Callie waiting for a look of shock or disapproval at her disclosure. Instead she felt Callie's hand rest atop of hers giving her the strength to tell a complete stranger her most private memories. "That is why I joined the force." With a slight squeeze from Callie's hand, she continued. "I lived in a bad neighborhood just out of school with no money. She was coming over for the night and was supposed to arrive around 8. Around 845 I began calling, becoming worried and frantic when I was unable to reach her. A man answered her phone on the ninth call and told me that she was on her way to the hospital after being attacked. I dropped the phone and ran to the closest hospital on foot, never thinking to grab the keys to my car. At the hospital they would not tell me anything about her because I was not family. I learned that her parents were already on the way so I waited. Helplessly. Her parents were over an hour from the hospital and I had no phone and no information so I was unable to call them and tell them anything. I felt utterly useless. I was met in the hallway by two police officers. They asked my name which I provided. The male, Officer Hale, told me that she was asking for me. He pulled me outside to tell me about the attack. She was beaten and raped. Found naked by a homeless man who flagged them down as they were passing on the street. They treated her injuries as best they could and covered her with their own jackets until paramedics arrived. Officer Hale held her in his arms while they waited because she was so cold. They didn't know who she was. She was a streetwalker for all they knew or an addict. But even so, they seemed so compassionate and caring. Everything that you don't expect from a cop. And they were able to help, to do something, which is what I could not do." Arizona fell silent for a few seconds, realizing that she had a strong grip on Callie's hand. She released her grip but Callie held her hand in place. With her to her other hand she swiped her hands across her eyes which she was sure were covered in tears. Callie watched intently and offered the solace of a gentle squeeze of her hand.

Callie broke the silence, "Did they ever find who did it?"

With a teary smile, Arizona looked her and Callie's joined hand. She ran her finger along Callie's finger and looked up into her eyes. "They did. The same officer who found her launched an investigation and worked tirelessly for three days until they found him. But not until another woman was raped in the same fashion. But they found him. He was sentenced to 44 years. 22 years for each count. That officer is now my Lieutenant. I owe him everything. He is everything that I want to emulate. It was that night that I decided that I wanted to be that person for someone. I wanted to make a difference. I was in the very next academy and was sworn in as an officer less than four months later."

"Wow." Callie said breathlessly, tears streaming freely down her face. "So your girlfriend, where is she now? How is she?"

"Well, I wish I could tell you. Her parents were never very supportive of our relationship and given that she was attacked on the way to my house, well they never really forgave me. I never really forgave myself. I saw her twice after the attack; I tried to be everything that I could not be that night. But it was too hard for her. Too hard to see me and be reminded of what happened. I hear that she is now in art school in LA. She was so talented Calliope. So talented. I worshipped her. And I let her get hurt. In the worst way. I will never forgive myself. But I have made it my mantra of sorts to protect others like her. To help someone like her."

"That is so beautiful. Wow. I am sorry" Callie said wiping an errant tear from her eye with her free hand.

"So I moved on a few years later. Met Joann. She is so much like Julie. Stubborn. Passionate. Caring. Talented."

"She seems like a lucky girl to have you."

"Not exactly. I am sorry Calliope, I keep catching myself talking only of myself. This is supposed to be about you. I came to see you to see how you are doing."

"No I want to hear it. Please."

"Alright then…..she cannot handle my work or my dedication. She is tired of not seeing me, tired of me being in danger. It is too much for her. Which is weird because when she met me I was a cop… but I guess I can understand it. She worries, ya know? It is a dangerous job. She does love me, I know that…. I just ….Wow, I kind of just threw that gay thing out there, I am sorry. I should be more careful with that disclosure huh? I am sorry if it bothers you."

Callie squeezed Arizona's hand and ran her thumb along her fingers. "Does this feel like it bothers me?"

Arizona gave a sweet smile, showing her dimples for the second time that night.

"You are so cute when you smile. So what happened, she left?"

"Last night… yes."

"Last night? After everything that happened?"

"I guess so. She saw the blood on my uniform and it was the last straw I guess. She couldn't handle it."

"I am sorry Arizona. After everything you have been through, that someone could not be there for when you need them. After all that you do for other people, how could she not be there when you need to break down."

"I don't do a lot of breaking down. Maybe that was the problem. She said I was hardened. That I do not smile anymore, that I am not bubbly like I used to be. Which I guess is true."

"You seem like a very strong woman Sgt. Robbins. I am proud to know you. If that counts for anything."

And it did. For some reason it did. "So tell me about you. Do you have a lucky man at home? Why on earth would he not be here with you? You wouldn't be able to keep me away with a stick if you were mine."

Did that really just come out of my mouth? If you were mine? Cool it Arizona.

"Well no lucky guy. I was left in a parking lot a little over two years ago as I watched the person I love just walk away from me and never turn back. I am still not exactly sure what happened."

"I can't imagine that is true. Who is this dick that would leave someone like you in a parking lot?"

"Her name is Erica. She was a doctor here."

Arizona's eyes became wide with realization.

"You can pick your jaw up now… I guess we have more in common than you thought." Callie shown her amazing smile once again and Arizona blushed slightly at the sight.

Arizona realizing that she could be in grave danger of falling for this woman if she continued this conversation tried to stand up but found her knees slightly more shaky than she had anticipated. Bracing herself on the edge of the bed, her face came closer to Callie's than she would have liked. Callie's breath caught in her throat which did not go unnoticed by Arizona. Arizona leaned in placing a soft chaste kiss on Callie's cheek. She smiled at Callie before saying "Get better soon ok? I need to get going. I am glad to meet you Calliope".

She did not give Callie the chance to respond before turning her attention to the door. Trying to get out of the room before her emotions took control. She heard an almost inaudible question from the woman lying in the bed. "Come see me after work?"

"I don't know if that is best Calliope. If we keep talking like this then I don't know if you will be able to get rid of me when you aren't stuck in this bed anymore."

"Maybe I am ok with that. See you tonight." Callie gave a wink and flashed her killer smile. Arizona stood in shock before making her way out of the room, out of the hospital, and to her jeep. "It is too soon Arizona, she told herself. She is just being nice. You opened your heart up in there and she is just being nice. God she is so pretty. Those eyes, those hands, those lips. Calliope had everything". Everything that Arizona wanted. "Stop it. Too soon. Joann's side of the bed isn't even cold yet, you are just hurting. And you are not pulling this sweet girl into your bullshit". Arizona fired up the jeep and headed home to shower again before work.


	9. Chapter 9

I know I said last chapter would be the last for the night but I really wanted to get chapter 10 out because it one of my favorite so far. 10 chapters in one day… jeesh. Hope you like it! And this chapter introduces Mark…. Hold your grumbles please… lol.

Securing the pins to a new clean uniform shirt, Arizona's mind drifted repeatedly to Callie. She closed her eyes and remembered the smell of her hair. The feel of her hand. She was never this attracted or intimate with Joann. Yes they had sex and lived together, but Joann never knew about Julie. She would always say that she did not want to hear about the depressing stuff. It is admirable that she always wanted to be positive and happy. But life is not always rainbows and sunshine, and she was never there through the wind and rain. As long as she can remember. She never had a conversation with her like she just had with Callie. And Arizona felt relaxed, like there had been a release. For the first time in years it wasn't just her and her dreams dealing with the sad and scary.

Arizona stood with her face directly under the scalding water of her shower. She felt emotions riding to her surface and tried to push them down. Taking a quick glance at her wristwatch, she allowed herself 20 minutes to breakdown. 20 minutes was all she had before she had to start preparing for shift and become Sgt. Robbins. For now, she was Arizona, a woman. A newly single woman, who experienced one of the most stressful events of her life yesterday. And who just retold the most painful stories of her life. Arizona cried hard for the first time in years. She found herself seated in her shower, hot water beating into her chest. And cried. For Julie. For Joann. For Callie. For the baby boy who lost his mother. For herself. For other officers who do not have the luxury of 20 minutes of crying. Arizona's thoughts drifted from Julie to Joann but she kept coming back to Callie. She wondered why this woman occupied her mind so frequently. She found herself imagining if her dream where Callie died were a reality. She cried for the loss of Callie in her dream. She cried for the pain she could not take away from her in that car. She cried. Checking her watch, she saw that her time was over. She let the water hit her face, hopefully washing away the redness that accompanied her tears. She gave her face a few hard scrubs and turned the water off. Stepping out of the shower and throwing a towel around her toned midsection, she threw on a pair of tight and a sports bra and began her morning exercises of 500 sit ups and 100 pushups. Putting on her sparring gloves, she knocked out 15 minutes of kickboxing on her MMA boxing dummy. Throwing on her boots, vest, and uniform, she was out of the door with duty belt in tow. Entering her patrol unit she saw a smudge of blood on her steering will. Not wanting to remember the events of yesterday, she wiped the blood away and focused on the road.

"120 to headquarters, 10-8 on shift."

"10-4 120, 10-19 Jackson St. in reference to a signal 30. 104 and 120 are on scene."

Fuck. What a way to start the day. Having to go to Jackson street for a murder investigation. My. Lt and a Sgt. From last nights shift are working the case right now.

Arizona arrived on scene and exited her patrol unit. Stepping under the yellow crime scene tape, she shook the hand of her LT. and nodded to the Sgt. Asking details on the case, the LT told her of a 24 year old white female who was allegedly stabbed to death by an intruder. Some facts of the case did not match up, however. No sign of forced entry, no sign of a struggle. 9 stab wounds to the upper right chest. No defensive wounds to hands or arms. No sign of sexual assault as the woman was fully clothed. Arizona snapped on a pair of black latex cloves so as to not put her finger prints on any evidence. She raised the white sheet which covered the victim. She closed her eyes and turned her head after she saw the gruesome scene in front of her. Dark skinned small statured woman, piercing blue eyes, pale white lips. She was pretty. Very pretty. Looks so young. Arizona lowered the sheet and asked the Lt what they had as far as leads and evidence. Not much was the answer, no weapon, very few prints. Awaiting detectives to continue the investigation. Seeing that everything that needed to be done was already done, she told the Sgt from the previous night to get home and she would take over. She awaited detectives' arrival for the next hour and helped with processing the scene for a little over the next two hours. As soon as the body was removed her job would be done. Thoughts of Callie and their conversation last night flooded Arizona's mind and it was a welcome intrusion given what was displayed before her.

Arizona entered her patrol vehicle again and checked her personal cell phone. Two messages. One from Joann and one from an unknown number. Bypassing Joann's message, she checked the unknown number and saw a simple message "I hope you have a better day."

Unsure of who would care enough about her to think about her day, she replied, "I am sorry, I do not have this number, who is this."

Several seconds later she received a reply "Calliope, of course!" Upon reading the name Arizona felt both a fluttering of butterflies in her stomach and an easiness settle over her.

"Good morning Calliope, shouldn't you be sleeping? How did you get my number?"

"Tell you tonight ;)" was her reply. This woman was good. Too good. Resisting the urge to tell her what had already happened in the early morning hours, she flipped to the message from Joann.

"I am sorry". That is it? What does that even mean? Sorry for what? Leaving me, abandoning ship when things get tough? Hurting me? What?

"What for" was her reply. She closed her phone and threw it on the passenger seat, not really wanting to see her answer. As she heard the bell ringing indicating that she had a new message, she checked and saw "for not being strong enough for you." Not having the strength to cater to Joann's feelings at the moment, she let the message go with no response. As she drove in an attempt to find some random drive through where she could grab coffee or some form of breakfast, her phone's message tone rang again. Ugh what Joann, I don't have the patience for this shit right now. Seeing the unknown number once again, she checked the message

"Word is out about a murder, I hope you didn't have to handle that case. If you did, are you ok?" Arizona could almost hear the words coming from Callie, full of concern and care just as they had sounded early this morning. Why was this stranger caring so much? What was in it for her? Why did she care about how I handle my job?

"I am fine." Was her short reply. Feeling as though she sounded a bit harsh, she sent another message "Thank you for asking though."

Another reply "Just checking on my favorite cop. Have a good day. Leg is feeling better, thanks to you and pain meds. Be safe ok?"

"K"

Arizona's day had fared better than it started out. Filled with time consuming but unimportant cases, she trudged through the day. With around 30 minutes left of her shift, she sent that unknown number a message

"Had a long day, do you still want to talk tonight?"

"Of course I do, I have been looking forward to it all day. It is not every day that someone looks forward to talking to a police officer! But if you had a long day then I understand. I stole enough of your time this morning." Callie did not cease to amaze Arizona even in her simple responses. If Arizona had been talking to Joann the conversation would have consisted of "We had plans and you always let your job ruin plans." And a "whatever Arizona" Truth was that Arizona did want to see Callie, she did not want to break plans. But she was scared that all she would be able to talk about was work or something equally as boring as to someone else. She did not want to see the disappointment in someone else's face like she always saw in Joann's.

"I have something that will make you feel better. Come see me." She could do this.

Arizona walked to the nurse's station, introduced herself and asked for Calliope Torres' room. Receiving a strange look from a salt and pepper haired man with a deep voice, she was escorted to the same room as this morning. He opened the door suddenly which caused Callie to jump and shoot a glare toward the door.

"What the fuck, Mark… oh hi Arizona. I am happy you came!"

"So I guess you know blondie?"

"Yes Mark, and her name is Arizona. That is enough thank you."

"Ok CALLIOPE…" Dr. Sloan said drawing out Callie's full name.

"Oh drop it Mark. Get out. Thank you."

"Sure thing CALLIOPE." Callie picked up the still full Jell-O cup which was resting on her tray and threw it toward the door, missing mark and splattering on the wall near Arizona.

"I am sorry, he is an ass."

"What was that all about?"

"I am assuming you used my full name when asking for me?"

"Well yes… Then that is what it is all about. No one calls me Calliope. I made a point to ensure that no one calls me Calliope actually."

"Oh I…. Im sorry."

"No, no. Like I said this morning, I like how you say it. Don't mind him ok? Come over here, I have a surprise." Arizona walked closer, still pondering the interaction between Callie and Mark earlier as Callie reached into the chair on the other side of the bed and surfaced with a box of donuts and a large coffee.

"OOOHHH dirty joke. Cops and donuts… I get it." Callie let out a small low chuckle and bashfully held out the box for Arizona to accept. Arizona gave Calllie a mock glare and begrudgingly took the box, opening it to find an assortment of donuts.

"Mad?"

"No I am not mad. I actually love donuts, but I don't have the nerve to go to a donut shop in uniform. That will end up on youtube faster than I can get back in my car. Thank you for the thought."

"Of course! So tell me about your day."

"My day?" Arizona asked wearily.

"Well yea, your day. Ya know what happened, did you arrest any bad guys, did you save any lives, did you see anything scary… I am intrigued, I want to know."

"You don't want to know about that Calliope."

"I asked didn't I?"

"Yea but you are just being nice, my work gets old and boring and sad and you will think I am depressed and jaded and… well fat like Joann said, especially if I keep eating these donuts."

"Woah, first of all, fat? Really? You look amazing. And I would still think you were cute even if you were fat. Second of all, it may be hard for you to believe, but I am interested. I don't have a sunshine and rainbows job either. I see people die, I cut people open, I break bones. I can handle it."

"Ok then, where do I start. I did have to work that murder this morning. Young girl. Stabbed 9 times in the chest. No leads yet. No family arrived on scene thank god. Had a residential burglary where the suspects made off with about 4000 dollars' worth of jewelry and electronics. I got some fingerprints from the scene but whether they are the homeowners or the suspects we will not know for a while. I stopped a speeder and found that he had an active warrant for drug trafficking. That was a big arrest. He was not happy and kept calling me a Punta which I can tell is not a compliment just by the manner in which he said it. And I ended the day with an 8 month old falling out of his crib. Had a decent bump on his little head but the parents were hysterical which caused the baby to be terrified. I took him outside and had the parents gather a bag for him to go to the hospital. We looked at birds and crumpled leaves while I held a little ice pack to his forehead. He was smiling and patting my face by the time I turned him over to paramedics."

"That is so amazing, you helped that family."

"I didn't help anything. It was a bump. I just separated him from his frantic parents. When we were outside he didn't know anything was wrong except for a little headache I'm sure."

"But you were there. You were the one holding him and making him laugh. The one comforting him when the parents couldn't. It makes a difference. And I am sorry about the other things. I guess you take for granted people appreciating you as a doctor. We don't get many people calling us Puntas in here."

"Yea well it comes with the job. If you want to run with the boys you have to be able to take shit like they do. Even though I think I get it a little harder. They aren't afraid of me until I have them face down in the pavement. Even if cuffs in the back of my car they think that they are bigger and badder. It takes some physical coercing to convince them otherwise."

"That's badass Arizona"

"Badass?" Arizona laughed heartily, "Thank you I think you are pretty badass too."

"Oh of course!"

"And a humble badass at that." This earned Arizona a swat on the arm which she deflected so as to not drop her donut.

"Hey hey, watch the goods" she stated which caused a hearty laugh from Callie. "Oh, and Hey! How did you get my number?" Arizona asked playfully raising an eyebrow at Callie.

"Oh ya know….." Callie mumbled intentionally, her voice fading out at the end to that Arizona could not hear.

"Oh ya know what? How did u get it Dr. McStalker?"

Callie opened her mouth wide and with wide eyes feigned insult. "McStalker? Really? I only called the police department and told them that I wanted to personally thank the woman who saved my life. They were resistant at first, but I told them that it was very important and that I would only use it this once."

"You suckered my coworkers into giving you my number? Damn you are good. So that only using it once thing, you aren't a stickler for abiding by your word are you?"

"I think I can be persuaded to make a liar out of myself" Callie said with a flirty tone. Arizona laughed loudly at this new playful side of Callie. She loved their interaction, how freeing it felt. She loved the look of the woman's eyes when she laughed and the sound of her voice as she caught her breath to speak. Arizona and Callie talked about careers and family and cases for the next several hours. Arizona laughed more that night in the hospital room than she could remember in the last 2 years. For once she felt normal, not jaded and depressing, normal and happy. Arizona had her fill of donuts as did Callie and they sat in their familiar places, Arizona on the stool next to the bed and Callie sitting upright in the bed. Arizona's hands dangled lazily over the rails of the bed and every now and then Callie would touch her fingers or her palm to accentuate a statement or show empathy. The two laughed and spoke honestly about hard topics, about Arizona's nightmares and Callie's newly developed fears surrounding driving. A comfortable silence fell between them and, sensing Arizona thinking, Callie reached up to hold the two middle fingers on Arizona's hand, her hands still laced over the bed rail. Callie looked at her new friend's fingers and traced her thumb up and down the skin on the back of Arizona's fingers down to the short clear nails and back. Arizona stared at their joined hands for sometime then back up to Callie's face. She could see tears swelling in her eyes and immediately began thinking the worst. She wondered what she had said to upset her and why the silence brought on this emotion. What was she thinking that was causing the tears?

"Calliope…. Sweetie whats wrong?"

Callie's eyes shot up to meet Arizona's which caused a single tear to fall, Arizona quickly reaching to wipe it away with her free hand, her fingers lingering longer than necessary on the olive skin.

"Just thinking…. Nothing."

"About what"

"I am just really happy to have met you"

"Well I am happy to have met you too, but why does that make you cry."

"I just, its, I haven't talked to anyone like this in a while. A long while. I haven't felt like this around someone in a while"

"What does it feel like" Arizona almost whispered

"Sgt. Robbins" a voice called from the door, causing Arizona to break her gaze on Callie. It was Lexie again. "The grandparents of the baby from yesterday are here. They have been with the baby. I was talking to them about his prognosis and wound care and they asked if I knew who helped their grandson after the crash. Well, long story short, I told them that you were here and that you helped their grandson, they want to meet you. Like now. They are in the PEDS ward, and I told them you will be there in five minutes." Lexie had a worried look on her face that she had overstepped boundaries with the officer… without receiving a response, Lexie turned and hurried out of the room. Arizona turned back to Callie who wore the most radiant smile.

"Here's your time to shine babe…. Lets go see that baby!"


	10. Chapter 10

Ok, for real this time… Last chapter of the night. Super late for a work party. Didn't realize how addicting these stories and posts are! This is my favorite chapter so far… Hope you enjoy!

Arizona walked behind a wheelchair which contained a discontent Callie. She hated the fact that she was not able to walk yet until her wound healed more, and she hated even more that Arizona was having to push her in the chair. Both women made their way to the PEDS ward and met Lexie standing in the hallway speaking with two older individuals. Lexie murmured an inaudible comment to the couple and before Arizona knew what was happening, she had two strong arms wrapped around her shoulders. Her arms were pinned to her side which rendered her incapable of returning the hug, not that she would have had the presence of mind to do so anyway. She looked at Callie who was also enveloped in a hug of the same kind from the female. Both individuals promptly swapped hugging partners and Arizona was quickly wrapped in a more relaxed but still intense hug. She received a kiss on the cheek and was taken by the shoulders to look at the woman in the eye.

"I am Logan's grandmother. The baby at the wreck. I am his grandmother. And this is his grandfather", she pointed to the man holding Callie's face in his hands which caused her cheeks to be squished and her lips puckered. She looked at Arizona with wide eyes and the most adorable face which caused Arizona to chuckle. Arizona extended her hand and introduced herself.

"I am happy to meet you both. You have quite the fighter on your hands." Arizona lowered her voice an octave "I am sorry for your loss".

"Thank you Sgt. Robbins. We are his paternal grandparents, his father was killed in Iraq just before his birth. His mother was devastated. They both lived with us in San Francisco but they were in Seattle visiting her family for her birthday. Her family is coping. It will take time. But a miracle did come of this. We could have lost them both. Thank you so much. For everything you have done. You will never know what it means to us."

Arizona quickly patted Callie on the shoulder and told the grandparents of her involvement, adding that she would have never been able to help the boy if not for Callie's calm direction. "Callie is the real hero here. I ensure you." Callie watched Arizona through the whole conversation and felt tears sting her eyes as this woman who was so brave and selfless gave her credit and praise when she could have taken all the glory. Arizona's hand remained on Callie's shoulder which was given a tight squeeze when Arizona met Callie's gaze. "Let's go see the little guy, is that ok?"

"Of course, of course," The couple led the women into the ward and to a small crib where a baby boy dressed in a blue hospital gown slept with a pacifier in his mouth and a large gauze pad taped to his little forehead. Callie stood from the chair, holding her weight on the leg that was not injured, and softly pulled up one end of the gauze.

"12 stitches" she said. "It was a big cut. Looks like they put it together nicely, He will have a scar. But I hear that baby girls dig scars. He will be the talk of the nursery." Callie claimed, eyes still on the infant.

"Of course he will" Arizona chimed in. "May I?" she asked, asking permission from the grandparents to pick up the child.

"Of course Sweetheart" I could get used to these pet names, Arizona thought. As carefully as possible, Arizona lifted the sleeping infant with one hand behind his head and neck and the other behind his back and diapered bottom. She positioned the child in her cradling arms and the movement caused him to stir and suck the pacifier loudly. Arizona softly bounced the baby boy as he nuzzled into her shoulder and gave a content sigh. Callie watched as a smile broke across Arizona's face.

"Hey little guy. It is so good to see you all cleaned up and feeling better. I am sorry about your head baby… but Ms. Callie is right, it is gonna get you a lot of extra bottles and all the little girls will be wanting to share their paci's with you. You are gonna be a rockstar, just like Ms. Callie." Arizona bounced the baby softly for several minutes, running her fingers along the bare skin of his arms. She felt the soft skin of his face and kissed his little fingers which twitched with his dreams. He let out a small snore as he settled into Arizona's arms and she smiled. Wanting Callie to experience the feeling of holding the miracle baby, she kissed his bandaged head and handed him off to Callie. Callie positioned her back against the crib to give herself more stability on one leg and she gingerly took the infant from Arizona's warm arms. The two women shared more contact than ever before, their faces mere inches from one another as they both crooned over the baby boy asleep in Callie's arms.

"Oh my gosh, he is like crack! This is a crack baby!" Callie said as she buried her nose in his neck, taking in his addicting baby scent.

"I don't think you are supposed to call him that" Arizona whispered.

Callie, realizing that she was overheard, blushed sheepishly and went back to nuzzling the baby who did not seem to object to the attention. Arizona watched the interaction between Callie and baby Logan, feeling a warmth in her soul which she had never experienced. I wish I could watch this forever. "I remember when my Sophia was this small, oh my gosh I wish she was this small again."

"Do you have a child dear?" the couple asked Callie

"Oh yes ma'am, she is 16 months." Arizona, clearly taken back, looked questioningly between Callie and the grandparents. "Ok sweetheart, sleep well, I will come back and see you tomorrow." Callie spoke to the infant. Asking the grandparents how long the child will be under medical care, she learned that he will be kept for two to three days to monitor his neuro function. "We will be back tomorrow. Sleep well."

"Thank you two for everything. I cannot thank you enough." Arizona, still silent from the comment about Callie's daughter, walked away after a shy smile and accompanied Callie back to her room.


	11. Chapter 11

"Ok… I know… you are angry. I should have told you." Callie studied Arizona's blank gaze.

"No, It's uh… its fine. You don't owe me an explanation. I don't need an explanation. I mean it's your life, I don't expect you to tell me everything. I have only known you like what two days anyway, you don't owe…" Arizona was silenced with a finger to her lips.

"I wanted to tell you. I just wanted to wait until the time was right. I didn't want to scare you off."

"Why would it scare me off? And what is it scaring me off from? I mean ok, you have a daughter. That means that we can't be friends?"

"Well that is the thing, I know that a lot of people are turned off to a woman with a child, and I wanted to just get to know you without it … ruining anything."

The blonde's questioning blue eyes found Callie's across the room. Taking three slow steps toward her, she asked "What would it ruin Calliope?"

Callie's breath quickened as she looked away from Arizona's piercing blue eyes and absentmindedly ran her finger along the bandaged wound on her thigh "Any prospect of an us."

"An us?"

"Ok, look, don't freak out ok? I think you are cute. Beautiful. Amazing even. I want to know more about you. Want us to be friends. But I don't think I have hidden that I am attracted to you. I mean I don't go around holding hands with every cop that crosses my path. I like you. I just….. well… I like you. Please don't freak out."

"I am….. not freaking out Calliope. …..So Sophia, huh?… Tell me about her." Callie smiled and after a deep breath she spoke about her favorite girl in the world with a woman that was quickly coming in at a close second.

And this is a picture of her two days ago eating squash and cereal…she loves squash, which is funny because her father and I hate it. Callie flipped through pictures on her phone showing Arizona every one of them.

"Her father…"

"Mark"

"Dr. Sloan?"

"Yes"

"So that is why he hates me."

"No. Mark is an ass. That was just him…well being an ass. It was a one night thing after Erica left. I was trying to convince myself I could be with men again. They are simpler. Mark and I were only ever about sex. And he is with Lexie now."

"Dr Grey?"

"Yes"

"God, this hospital is like a high school campus" Callie chuckled at Arizona's comparison.

"More than you know. Callie spent the next hour explain the various relationships that have come and gone and endured in the hospital. She also explained that Sophia is staying with Derek and Meredith until she is able to get home because Sophia came down with a bad case of strep throat and cannot come into the hospital with all the germs. "I miss her desperately. But I am sad to say that this amount of time is not exactly out of the ordinary. I mean with work I am stuck at the hospital up to 48 hours at a time with back to back surgeries. But it is all worth it when I get home and she reaches for me with her little chubby arms and says Mami. She has the most beautiful smile Arizona, she is beautiful ."

"She sounds amazing"

"She is. You two have that in common." Callie said with a smile taking Arizona's hand in hers. Maybe you could come meet her, ya know when you aren't working or babysitting bored patients in the hospital.

"I would like that." Arizona had reservations about getting involved with family, especially with someone she only just met, but with Callie it seemed right, with Callie she wanted to be different, wanted to be everything that she wasn't with Joann and Julie. She wanted it all. Which scared the hell out of her. Here is this woman that she had never seen outside of a hospital and a crushed car, never kissed, never held, but she felt herself wanting her, wanting to be with her, wanting to share things with her. Arizona shook the thoughts out of her head and saw Callie yawn deeply, her eyes tearing up in the process. "You need to get to bed Calliope, I have kept you up far too long. Get sleep. Heal. I have work in…. two hours. Shit" Arizona said checking her watch.

"Oh shit, I am so sorry. I lost all track of time."

"I have that effect on women" Arizona said playfully.

"Oh is that so? Hm… " Callie gave Arizona a sly smile and pulled her in for a tight hug. It would not be unlike Callie to capture the lips of a woman like Arizona a long time ago. It would not be unlike her to take her to her bed under different circumstances. But Arizona was different. She had been hurt enough, by women, by life… she did not want to rush things. She did not want to be another reason that Arizona had to cry. She wanted to take it all away, all of the pain, all of the sadness. She wanted to be the person to talk to her about hard days at work and make them better with a kiss and a glass of wine. She wanted to make a difference in Arizona's life, just like she had done for her. And if that meant taking it slow, slow it would be. Callie closed her eyes and allowed herself to be in the moment with Arizona before she had to watch her walk out of the door.


	12. Chapter 12

"So today is the big day!" Arizona cheered as she entered Callie's hospital room for hopefully the last time.

"That is it dear!" Callie said looking up from a plethora of charts which covered her body and food tray.

"What are these?" Arizona asked pointing to the metal books.

"These are charts of cases that I have missed out on while being in here. I have a ton of surgeries scheduled for next week when I am released and I need to brush up on the cases."

"Oh, ok. Sounds fun!" Arizona was more chipper than normal today

"Whats up hun? You seem… perky"

"Well today you are going home, shouldn't I be happy?"

"Hm… Ok. You sure that is it?"

"Huh? Oh, and I single handedly took down a ring leader for a big drug cartel that came into Seattle a few days ago. They got a few kilo's out before we got wind of where they were. But we set up a perimeter, I was lead man, and I always get my man. Always."

"Awesome! What happened?"

"You really wanna know?"

"Well of course, anything that makes you this excited I have to know about."

"Ok! Well I was on battering ram and we entered the house which only had three guys in it. They ran out in all different directions but I saw the one who I recognized from the BOLOs that Miami had put out. Well he took off and so did I. Chased him over a fence which had a sleeping Rottweiler on the other side, luckily he was groggy and didn't catch onto what was going on until my ass was out of biting range. Then the perps pants got caught on the next fence which caused him to stumble. I got to the top of the fence, saw that I needed to make my move, leapt off of the fence and right onto him. Clad in only boxers. Which was not so great. Sweaty man, breathing hard, thin boxers. Yikes. But I got him. The other two were detained and arrested by my partners. Drug ring busted. Boom."

"Did you just say boom?"

"Uuhh, no, nope, did not say boom." Arizona said sheepishly.

"That was maybe the cutest thing I have ever heard. You are a dork of course…. But cute." Callie said with a laugh. "Well congratulations babe! Come give me a hug!" Arizona closed the distance to the bed in two strides and enveloped Callie in a tight warm hug. "Mmm this is nice" Callie muttered.

"It is. Now get your shit woman, we are busting you out of here"

"Oh demanding huh? Adorable and demanding. Good combination."

"Adorable?"

"Yes, adorable" Callie smirked as she kissed Arizona on the cheek before stacking the charts and swinging her legs off of the bed. She grimaced slightly as she put weight on her injured leg. Arizona was under her arm in an instant, helping her to the crutches which were on the opposite wall.

"I got you"

"You sure do…" Callie whispered.

"Ok so is there anything you need?" Arizona asked as she was seating Callie on her couch. "Coffee, water, food, medicine? Anything?"

"Just come sit by me"

"Ok. You ok?"

"Yes, I wanted to ask you something. And I want you to think about it before you answer."

"Ok… shoot." Arizona responded nervously.

"Sophia will be here in about an hour."

"Ok, I can get everything set up for you and head out so you can have tim…"

"Arizona, I didn't ask the question yet."

"Ok. Sorry"

"Stay here. Meet her."

"Is that the question?"

"Yes Arizona, will you meet her? I know we have only known each other like four days, and saying that out loud sounds crazy, but, honestly, you have been with me through the toughest moments and have helped me through them more than I could ever ask for. And I could really use another pair of hands with her…. Ok that is not true, because Mark lives across the hall and could easily help out. Truth is, I want you to meet her. I don't want you to think I do this often because I don't. Actually I have never wanted anyone to meet her. But I want you to. Im asking you to. If you want to."

"I would love to stay around and be an extra pair of hands" Arizona said with a smile.

"Great!"

"Yay!" Callie pulled Arizona into a tight hug and kissed her on the cheek. Now they wait.

"Knock Knock" Callie heard someone call while opening her door. Arizona had quickly fallen asleep on her couch after they got home and she hated to wake her. But she knew that once Sophia was through the door that no one would be sleeping anytime soon. With a soft shake of her leg and a soft whisper, Arizona was up, rubbing her eyes, and looking toward the door. Meredith emerged with a dark hair olive skinned beauty would could easily pass as Callie's much younger twin.

"There's my girl! Hey baby! Mami missed you! Did you miss Mami?" Sophia placed an open mouth kiss on Callie's cheek which proved that she did indeed miss her mommy. With a quick look to Arizona, Meredith introduced herself.

"This is Arizona, Mer, she is the officer who was with me at the crash. She has been visiting me in the hospital."

"Oh well good to meet you, I am glad that such a pretty lady was able to help dear Callie in her time of need." Meredith raised an eyebrow and Callie smiled..

Seeing Arizona blush, Callie broke the awkwardness with an "Alright Mer, thank you so much for everything. I am going to get lunch in this munchkin and spend some time with her. Thank you again."

"Anytime Callie, Nice meeting you Arizona,"

"You too."

Callie closed the door behind Arizona and swayed her hips causing Sophia to dip and rise with the motion. Sophia let out a small but hearty laugh and craned her neck to see the stranger behind them.

"Ok, Sophia, I want you to meet someone. You don't know her but she is pretty special. She was with Mami when Mami got a bobo and she made me feel better."

"Her kiss it?" Sophia asked, eyes studying her mother.

"She did baby, and she made it all better. That was nice of her huh? Her name is Arizona… can you say Arizona?"

Sophia shyly shook her head from side to side, telling her mother that she was not going to try to say the name. "Ok sweetie… well she is really nice and I hope you like her." Callie explained to her daughter. She found Arizona's eyes and both women wore a smile. "Do you want to say hi to Ms. Arizona?" with a quick look to the blonde and another look to her mother, Sophia wiggled out of her arms and planted her feet firmly on the floor, definitely her mother's child. Sophia slowly walked to Arizona, studying her face as she took small, wobbly steps. As she reached Arizona, she wrapped her little chubby arms around her right thigh, pressing her cheek into her knee. With wide eyes, Arizona looked to Callie who was covering a smile with her hand.

"Well hello sweetheart" Arizona said sweetly, reaching down to pick up the little girl. "That was some hug! You must get that from your mommy! She is an awesome hugger!" At that, Sophia wrapped her arms around Arizona's neck and gave her a sloppy open mouth kiss right on her cheek. "Oh my goodness, sweet girl. Can I give you a kiss too? Yea? Ok" Arizona placed a light kiss on Sophia's cheek. With a quick look back to her mother, Sophia wriggled out of Arizona's arms and ran to her toy box in the corner of the room, rummaging through her things with gusto. "She is…. Perfect" Arizona said still watching the baby girl in action. Arizona felt a pair of strong arms around her waist. She leaned her head back onto the shoulder of the woman behind her and breathed a deep sigh. "She is perfect."


	13. Chapter 13

The next few days passed comfortably. Arizona and Callie spent more time together as Callie was recuperating from the accident. It had been a week since the accident and Arizona entered her weekend off of work. Three whole days of no uniforms or vests or guns. Three days just to relax. Speaking of relaxing… What time is it? Arizona rolls over in her bed and looks at the clock. 654 AM. The start of her weekend off and she was up before 7. Arizona pondered calling Callie but knew that there was a possibility of waking a sleeping Sophia so she decided against the call. Callie would call her when she was ready, right? If she isn't already getting tired of…. Callie's thoughts were interrupted by a text message coming through on her phone. Smiling lazily, she wondered what had Callie up so early in the morning. Looking at her phone she saw that the message was from Joann. Arizona's heart sank. It had been nearly a week since they spoke. The longest they had gone without speaking in their entire relationship. Opening the message she read "I am still in love with you. Can we work this out?" In a text message? Really? You want to try to get back together with me in a text message? You leave me on one of the worst nights I have had in a long time and you want to make up for it in a text message. Feeling too emotional to answer and not wanting to say something she would later regret, Arizona closed her phone and rolled herself out of bed. She jumped into a cold shower, trying to shock her body awake. She sang a few songs to herself, only partial songs, not remembering the entirety of any of them. Singing in the shower was not something that she was used to. It was a recent development_. _

"_Arizona I know that you two both just met and everything, and I am counting on the fact that you don't turn out to be a serial killer or baby snatcher, but I am feeling gross from the hospital and really want to jump in the shower. Sophia will play on her own if you can just make sure she doesn't try to make a break for it or anything. I won't be longer than 10 minutes, tops." Arizona saw the pleading look on Callie's face and could not turn her down. _

"_Definitely not a baby snatcher. Go take a shower. You smell." Callie feigned a look of insult and popped Arizona on her arm with the back of her hand. Arizona smiled playfully and watched Callie saunter out of the room with a slight limp, her leg obviously still in pain. _

"_Mami…" Sophia gave Arizona a worried look as her mother escaped from her vision. "Mami…" Sophia whined again as her little face contorted to show sadness. Arizona saw tears fill the little beauty's eyes as she looked toward the door that her mother just left out of. _

"_Sophia sweetie, she is coming back. She is smelly, she needs a bath" Arizona crooned in a baby voice as she closed the distance to the baby. Arizona knelt down on one knee and touched the little Latina's face and ran a thumb across her pouting bottom lip. "Aw, sweetie, she will be back. How about we take a walk around and wait for her ok? How does that sound?" A single tear fell from Sophia's eye as she shook her head up and down. "Alright, big girl, up we go," Arizona said as she scooped the little one up into her arms and bounced her up and down in her arms. Sophia let out a slight chuckle at the movement, her belly protruding into Arizona's chest. Arizona made a few silly noises with her mouth and talked in an adorable baby voice to the baby in her arms. Sophia responded with little laughs and hands on either side of her face. Sophia leaned in and rested her head on Arizona's chin, allowing Arizona to kiss her forehead sweetly. "There we go, we are happy again. See, we are ok. I will tell you a secret, I don't like when your mommy leaves either. I kind of like her around ya know? And I kind of like you around too. I mean I know this is the first time we meet and all….. aaand I am having a conversation with a one year old. Nice Arizona." Sophia yawned widely like Arizona had seen her mother do, and Arizona positioned her lying in her arms, facing her chest. Slowing her bouncing to a gentle sway, she sang to the baby. Not knowing any appropriate baby songs, she sang the lyrics of a song that she had loved for years. _

_A fire burns_

_Water comes_

_You cool me down_

_When I am cold inside_

_You are warm and bright_

_You know you are so good for me, yea_

_With your child's eyes_

_You are more than you seem_

_You see into space_

_I see in your face_

_The places you've been_

_The things you have learned_

_They sit with you so beautifully_

_Arizona crooned to the infant who was quickly fading in her arms. Completely unaware that the child's mother watched from the doorway at the care and love that she was showing her daughter when she thought no one was watching. "Badass cop, huh" Callie whispered to herself out of earshot of Arizona. Callie retreated back into the bedroom and made herself as noisy as possible while coming out so as to not embarrass Arizona by catching her singing. Emerging clean from the bedroom, Arizona saw Callie clad in an oversized t-shirt and sweat pants, hair still wet and hanging around her face. _

"_Wow." _

"_What?"_

"_You, look amazing…"_

"_Arizona I am in sweats just out of the shower, I look like a bum."_

"_You look… amazing."_

"_Thank you. Is my little one out?"_

"_I think she is."_

"_Here, I will take her to her bedroom" Callie said reaching toward Arizona's arms._

"_Um…" Arizona said turning her body slightly away from Callie eliciting a raised eyebrow, "If it is ok, can we just sit with her for a little while? I mean if you want to put her down you can, it is just really nice to have a healthy, happy baby in your arms after holding all of the scared and hurting ones. I would really like to just hold her for a second longer. If that is ok?"_

"_Ok, of course. I am sure she would love that" Callie said sweetly. _

"_Plus she smells soooo good, Oh My God." Arizona groaned as she put her nose to Sophia's black hair. _

_Callie fixed the sofa so that Arizona could lean back against the arm with a pillow behind her back to be more comfortable and not have to support Sohpia's whole 18 pounds. Arizona snuggled into the couch, taking comfort in the fact that this baby was not bleeding, was not crying, was not scared. She took comfort in the fact that she was not scared to lose this one. She slid down on the sofa so that her head was resting on the arm and let Sophia's weight rest on her chest and stomach. The toddler nuzzled her nose into Arizona's shoulder and placed her little hand in the center of Arizona's chest. Arizona stared at the baby for a while before looking up to see her beautiful mother on the opposite end of the couch. I could definitely get used to this._

Arizona let the memory flood her senses, smelling the toddler again and feeling the warmth that was a product of their contact and her emotions. She finished her shower and stepped out, drying her body and hair with a towel. She dressed herself in a pair of tight boy shorts, a pair of running shorts, and a sports bra, intent on starting her morning exercises. One quick look at her phone revealed another message from Joann. "I think we should talk." Ignoring this message again, she started on her sit-ups. She was starting to feel the burn sooner than normal, probably a product of being so tired after all of the late hours with Callie which interfered with her exercise time in the morning. "330. 331, 332, 333" Arizona breathed, her voice strained and breathless. *Knock Knock Knock* Shit… who is here at 745 in the morning. Fuck Joann, she wanted to talk. I am not in the mood. Why would she just come to the house without asking first? What if I wasn't even here?

Arizona padded over to the door, not thinking to put a shirt on and flung the door open, "Joann, I am not in the... shit, Callie…" It was Callie. And Sophia. At her apartment. "Callie, come in, it is so good to see you, Arizona leaned in for a quick hug. Expecting her to reciprocate the hug, she was surprised when she didn't. Looking to Callie for an explanation, she noticed her eyes wide, and her mouth slightly agape. Following her eyes, she saw that Callie was looking straight at her midsection. "Shit… sorry… I didn't put on a shirt", Arizona said as she covered herself with her arms. "Callie, say something, please."

"You are… Hot. Arizona. Shirt, now." Callie said, tearing her eyes away from the sweating abs and breasts in front of her. Arizona smiled and cocked her head to the side, widening her grin as she saw Callie's eyes dart back to her scantily clad body. "Arizona…. SHIRT!"

"Oh, right, ok, Be right back."

Callie watched the blonde woman walk away from her, admiring her back side as much as she admired her front. She looked down at her baby girl wide eyed in her arms and leaned into her ear, "We have our work cut out for us, baby girl. Whew, work cut out for us." Sophia shown a smile with the attention and bounced herself in her mother's arms. Callie was content with watching her child and saw her clap clumsily and laugh as Arizona entered the room, fully clothed.

"I think she likes you," Callie smiled at the blonde.

"Well good, because I like her too, so much!" Arizona said in her best baby voice, eyes wide to show the toddler her excitement at her presence. "I do! So what brings my favorite girls to my house so early in the morning" Arizona asks still in a high pitched baby voice.

"Well Sophia has been up since 3 am, she was cranky this morning, I think she is coming down with an ear infection. Usually I am able to calm her and get her back to sleep with a drive in the car. We have been driving since 4. As you can tell it didn't work. So we thought we would stop by and see if you were up for breakfast."

"Oh of course! Ms. Zona loves breakfast" Arizona exclaimed.

"I am seriously going to need you to drop it an octave or two if we go out in public though" Callie chuckled.

"Oh, ha.. Sorry about that."

"So cute" Callie said. "So do you want to go out or do you want to have breakfast here, or we could run back to my place…"

"Breakfast here will be great. I don't have a high chair but we don't need that do we?" Arizona asked Sophia, throwing on the baby voice again for good measure.

"Ok, well lets get started!"

The two women prepared breakfast together in Arizona's small kitchen, making moving around each other difficult. The tension in the air was palpable as each brushed against the other several times eliciting nervous glances and shy smiles. Sophia played with everything located on the floor, accidentally pulling over a small fake tree which struck her right on the top of the head as it toppled. Arizona heard the crash but remained silent, trying to allow Sophia to process what had happened without her scooping her up and making her more afraid. Sophia sat stunned for a few seconds before turning and finding Arizona's gaze. Just as their eyes locked, Sophia's bottom lip stuck out and her little eyebrows pulled together tightly. Sophia stretched her chubby arm straight up and was barely able to place a hand on the effected spot on the top of her head. Arizona's heart broke at the sight of the saddened girl. The tree was not large enough to even hurt, but it was enough to scare her.

"Oh Sophia…" Arizona heard Callie moan. "I am sorry Arizona, I should have been watching her."

"No, no… Sshh.. Watch" Arizona instructed Callie.

"Wha"

"Sshh…"

Sophia looked at the two women, unsure of how to react. Her little baby palm rubbed the top of her head and she brought herself to her feet, bottom lip still sticking out inches from her face. Without a cry she walked to Arizona and put her face right into her naked knee, rubbing her face into the skin she found there.

"Aw, baby… Did that mean plant hurt your head?" Arizona asked as she knelt down, taking Sophia's chubby cheeks in her hands. Sophia shook her head up and down and displayed a full bottom lip which she definitely got from her mother. "Do you want Zona to kiss it and make it better?" This elicited another shake of Sophia's head. With an exaggerated kissing noise, Arizona kissed Sophia's head and picked her up to place her on her hip.

"You are so good with her" Callie interrupted the exchange. "At home she would have wailed and milked the accident for the next hour, being pitiful. She just picked herself up and walked right over to you!"

"She wasn't hurt. She was scared. If you are calm then she has no reason to think anything is out of the ordinary and she is able to calm herself. If you act abnormally then she thinks something is wrong and her fears are validated. Simple crisis management!" Arizona said with a smile and a bounce of the baby.

"Crisis management works with a one year old… hm" Callie said skeptically.

"But of course!" Arizona gave Sophia another kiss on the forehead and smiled as the baby pressed her forehead further into her lips and began turning her fists into her eyes.

"You have got to be kidding me…" Callie proclaimed.

"What? What?" Arizona asked lowering her eyes

"She is sleepy. As soon as we get breakfast almost ready, she is sleepy."

"But mom, I have been up for hours, of course I am tired!" Arizona answered for the baby girl. "Here Calliope, you take her and I will finish breakfast."

"How about you keep her for a second. She obviously likes your attention." Sophia gave a content yawn and, with lazy eyes, patted either side of Arizona's face and giggled faintly.

"I can do that." Arizona smiled at Callie. She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Callie's left cheek. With closed eyes and a smile from the beautiful woman, she placed another lingering kiss. Arizona closed the distance between them which caused Callie to take a step back and press her back to the island. Arizona continued her trek forward until both of their bodies touched Sophia who had taken her normal lying position in Arizona's arms. Callie opened her eyes slowly in just enough time to see Arizona's flutter shut and lean in toward her lips. Callie took a quick intake of breath and waited. Her arms rose to find both of Arizona's arms and ran her hands up the warm skin to rest halfway between her elbow and shoulder. She felt Arizona shutter under her touch and then she felt the kiss. Arizona's lips met Callie's in a slow, tender kiss. Arizona gently took Callie's full bottom lip between her own, tracing her tongue across the soft skin. Trailing her hand up to touch Arizona's cheek, she pulled her into the kiss and deepened their contact, parting her lips and letting Arizona's tongue explore softly. Arizona moaned lightly, tightening her hold on Sophia for fear of dropping the baby while her mind was entrances with everything that was Callie at that moment. Both women moved their mouths delicately over the others, exploring the smell and taste of each other. Arizona pulled back first, with hazy eyes, she tried to form words but was unable, her mouth forming a series of vowels but none had a voice behind them. Callie smiled tenderly and dropped her hand from Arizona's face and rested it on her tired baby's shoulder. Remembering the delicate being in her arms, Arizona dropped her head to place a chaste kiss on her forehead. Looking back at Callie she breathed, "I have wanted to do that for a long time."

"That makes two of us" Callie retorted.

Both women were jolted by a hard knock at the door. Handing over the almost sleeping toddler to her mother, Arizona padded across the apartment to see who was interrupting such a moment.

Opening the door she saw her, "Joann…."


	14. Chapter 14

"….What are you doing here?"

"I told you we need to talk…. Who is that?" Waiting on a response from Arizona, she turned her attention to Callie… "Who are you?"

"SShh… the baby is sleeping. Shut up."

"I don't give a fuck. You are fucking straight women now? Who is she?"

"Calliope please excuse me" Arizona directed at Callie

"No, no we will go."

"No. Please. Just give me a second ok?"

With a nod from Callie, Arizona backed Joann into the hallway. "What Joann. You have no right coming here and being rude to my company."

"What the fuck kind of name is Clappy?"

"It is Calliope, Joann. Do not be childish. What do you need?"

"I told you we need to talk."

"About what?"

"About us."

"I thought you made it clear that there is no us, anymore. I am a fat asshole cop, remember?"

"Baby, I didn't mean to call you fat. You are not fat. I was hurting." Joann put her hands on Arizona's hips, she always knew that Arizona loved her hands there.

Arizona closed her eyes at the touch. Seconds passed and she felt Joann's breath on her face. Opening her eyes she saw Joann's intent glare as she moved in to kiss the blonde.

"No, Joann. What the fuck. You cannot just leave me alone when I needed you most and call me all those horrible things and just come back like nothing happened. You hurt me. Get off of me." Arizona tried to break the hold Joann had on her hips.

"Quit Zona," Joann said as she fought for dominance in the struggle.

"Joann, quit, you are hurting me. Stop it."

"Then stop fighting. Come here."

"Joann get the fuck off of me." Arizona pushed her hard and caused herself to be pushed backward into her own door.

"The fuck? You think you are some badass now? You are fucking her Arizona? With a baby in the house? That is disgusting. She is gay?" With no word from Arizona, Joann continued… "She better be fucking straight. She better be. You don't bring fucking wetback dykes into my house to fuck them in front of a goddamn wetback…." Joann's words were cut off by a strong hand clenching the front of her shirt. Looking down at the contact, she was thrust backwards into the wall. Joann saw a flash on anger in Arizona's eyes and Arizona sensed her fear. She promptly let go of her shirt but did not do anything to put distance between them. Joann stood with her back against the wall, Arizona inches from her. She glared at her former lover and opened her mouth to scream again.

"No. Shut the fuck up. You get the fuck out of here. Now. There is nothing left for you here."

"You are making a big mistake Arizona."

"Get. The Fuck. Out. Oh, and if you ever speak about her or that baby that way again, it will be the fucking end of you. Do you understand me?"

No answer

"Am. I. Understood?"

"Whatever Arizona."

"Turn your selfish ass around and walk out of this building. And don't let my foot hit you in the ass on the way out."

Joann, trying to save face as much as possible, gave a lingering glare at Arizona before mumbling under her breath and storming out of the building.

Arizona stood in the hallway for several moments trying to regain her composure. She did not like getting angry with people she cared about. Going rogue on a criminal was one thing but putting her hands on someone who she knew loved her deep down was another. She felt weak. Defeated. Alone. Just like the night Joann left. She closed her eyes tight, trying to keep tears at bay. Just then she heard the sound of her door opening. She turned around slowly and saw Callie. Her eyes averted her gaze. She had Sophia tucked into her right arm and had her keys in her left.

"You are leaving?" Arizona asked dejectedly.

"I feel like it is probably best. I will not put Sophia in the middle of a fight…..I guess that was Joann…..?"

"Yes."

"Are you ok?"

"Yes."

"You don't look ok."

"I am. You should… if you want… I understand if you want to leave. I am sorry." Arizona looked at her fidgeting hands, not wanting to see disapproval in Callie's eyes.

You did not have to stand up to her for me. She loves you.?"

Arizona looked at the ceiling trying to keep tears from falling.

"You don't have to be so strong all the time, ya know?"

"Strong? I feel that since I have met you I have been anything but strong. I have cried more in front of you than anyone else in my life. I worry, all the time, about you, about Sophia. I never worried before I met you. I take action, I made decisions, I DO things. I don't just worry."

"Why do you worry?"

"I just don't ever want to see you like that again. You were scared and hurting and I couldn't do anything. I do this all the time. I mean I see crashes and victims and death. It doesn't get to me like it did with you. I would have done anything to get you out of that car. And now I meet Sophia. Perfect, beautiful Sophia, and these images of horrible things that have happened to other babies just like her pop into my head and I feel like I don't want to let her go. Even to lay down to sleep. And she isn't even my baby! I have met her a handful of times. But she looks at me with those big brown eyes, your big brown eyes, the same eyes that I saw that day at the crash. And I just lose myself in them. She broke my heart today when that fucking plant fell on her. She wasn't even hurt…"

Callie cut her off "But you were amazing with her. Who did she come to afterwards? You. MY baby went to YOU. And you were amazing with her… Look. You are upset. I can see that. And I want to make it better. Sophia is sleeping. Let's go inside, put her down, and talk."

Arizona looked up with tear-filled eyes and locked eyes with Callie.

"Or I can let you hold her and we can talk."

Getting a small smile from Arizona, she used her left hand to take Arizona's right, and led her back into her apartment.

"I cannot believe it is 9am and she is taking a nap." Callie shook her head watching Arizona stroking her toddler's hair as she slept. "Let's me warm up that breakfast and we can eat ok?"

"Thank you" Arizona whispered. While Callie was several feet away in the kitchen, Arizona thought about all that she wanted and needed to say. She wanted to say how scared she was of being left again. How scared she was of pushing people away by being hardened and sad sometimes. She wanted to say how scared she was of getting hurt or shot everyday which sometimes made her untrusting. She wanted to say how proud of being a police officer she was and how she prided herself on making a difference, but that sometimes people don't understand that. She wanted to say how much this past week has meant to her.

Callie came back to the living room with breakfast. Arizona quickly learned how to juggle a sleeping baby and still manage to eat. She and Callie talked for over an hour about nothing in particular. About Joann and what happened in the hallway. About what lead to their breakup. About her feelings for Joann. About her feelings for Julie. About her parents and military upbringing. Arizona learned of Callie's peace corps stint, about her previous marriage, about her relationships with Erica and Mark. She learned of Callie's pregnancy and Sophia's major milestones in her first year. After finishing breakfast and entering into a comfortable silence, Callie looking lovingly at her sleeping daughter. "That's the life huh? Asleep in the arms of an adorable woman, and not a care in the world"

Positioning Sophia in the crook of her left arm with her little back against the back of the sofa, Arizona slid down so that they both lay in the same position. She opened her right arm to Callie. "Would you like to join us? I can tell you are tired." Callie smiled, stifled a yawn and crawled to the side of the sofa that the two girls occupied. Laying on her left side, she laid her head on Arizona's shoulder, nuzzling into her neck. She laid her right arm over Arizona's midsection and rested her hand on her baby daughter.

"So this is what this feels like?"

"This is what what feels like?" Arizona asked.

"This is just nice" Callie changed her mind about her disclosure.

"Agreed."


	15. Chapter 15

Several weeks had passed since Callie and Arizona started spending regular time together. Sophia seemed to be enamored with Arizona and was known to "jump ship" when Arizona entered the picture and wiggle out of her mother's arms and run straight to the blonde's. Arizona had been through some trying times at work and had been open with Callie through them all, often sharing stories with her about her cases while Callie spoke about hard cases at the hospital. Callie had gone back to work full time and was healing nicely. She wore a three inch scar on her thigh which was admired often by Arizona and kissed often by Sophia. Callie prepared her famous Chicken Piccata while nervously cleaning and recleaning surfaces. Tonight was going to be interesting. Mark, Lexie, Arizona, Callie and Sophia were going to be having dinner together. The first to arrive was Arizona. Callie called for Arizona to let herself in.

"Hey you!"

"Hey yourself" Arizona replied. She walked to the kitchen, snaking her arms around Callie's midsection. "This smells amazing."

"Thank you" Callie leaned her head back and to the side to allow her lips to quickly meet Arizona's.

"So where is my favorite girl?" Arizona asked. Very deliberately turning around, Callie put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side, raising an eyebrow at the blonde. "I mean my second favorite girl, you didn't hear when I said second."

"Mhm…" Callie narrowed her eyes. "She is napping. It is almost time to wake her for dinner. If she does not get up now she will be up all night. Would you like to grab her for…." Callie's voice trailed off as she watched Arizona dart out of the room and straight to Sophia's room. "I guess that is a yes."

Callie checked her dinner and, being satisfied with its progress, hopped up onto the island and waited for the girls to emerge.

"Oh how do you ever put this down?" Arizona asked Callie while nuzzling her daughter as she tried to wake up. Arizona moved in between Callie's legs and Callie responded by wrapping her strong legs around her and pulling her closer to her. Sophia raised her head off of Arizona's shoulder and rubbed both eyes with chubby fists. "Mami…"

"Yea baby?"

"Eat"

Callie and Arizona both laughed in unison.

"She is a hungry girl mom!" Arizona squealed while tickling Sophia's belly. This earned her a tired baby chuckle.

Two more knocks on the door… "Come in Mark!"

"Torres…Blondie…" Mark said with little enthusiasm. "Baby Girl! Come see your daddy!" Sophia made no move to exit Arizona's arms but feeling slightly awkward holding his daughter, Arizona put Sophia down and she promptly walked to him and raised her arms to be picked up.

Arizona followed Sophia. Extending her hand she stuttered, "Last time… well I don't feel like we had a proper introduction. I am Arizona Robbins."

Mark studied her for a second before taking her hand, "I like Blondie better."

Arizona smiled and looked at Lexie…. "Dr. Grey, nice to see you again."

"Same to you Arizona. I am sorry about him." She said smiling.

"Did you just apologize for me?"

"Well someone needs to…"

"Alright guys" Callie interjected. ."Mark, set the table please? Arizona can you grab Sophia's bib from the changing table in her room? Lexie, nice to see you" Callie grabbed Sophia from Mark and handed her to Arizona so that her bib could be put on.

As Arizona bounced with Sophia out of the living room, Mark addressed Callie, "Don't you think it is a little soon to have her taking care of our daughter?"

"Oh cut the shit Mark. Don't ruin this do you hear me? She is a nice girl. And be nice to her. She is nervous enough meeting you."

"Good."

"Mark Sloan this will be a nice dinner whether you are in attendance or not. Make your choice" Callie challenged him with an intense stare and a raised eyebrow.

Arizona entered the room carrying a bib-clad baby. She circled the table to place her in her high chair but caught Callie's ear in the process. "That was incredibly hot" she whispered. The closeness caused Callie to shiver. Then, registering her words, her eyes widened but Arizona was already settling Sophia into her seat. "I was thinking that it would be nice to go out and get ice cream after dinner, if that is ok with all of you… My treat!" Arizona said cheerfully. She had recently discovered a new sense of optimism that she had once thought she lost. Ice cream. Dinners with company. Simple thank you's from passersby. A sweet kiss. Baby smells, well some baby smells. It was a nice reprieve. She was starting to feel like just one of the girls. People on the outside could not tell what she had seen, and hell, many people have seen the same things that she has seen and even worse. Callie sees people at their worst and has the responsibility of putting them back together. She did not have such a responsibility. She felt normal, happy, free. And it was in large part to Callie and her continuous support and perspective.

Dinner was flawless. Everyone ate Callie's famous dish without being able to break away for more than a few words at a time. Hopefully more conversation would take place while getting ice cream.

"Calliope, why don't we take my jeep? It is one of four clear nights in Seattle and it is not too cold out. We can put the top down and enjoy the breeze. Soph might need a blanket though. What do u think?"

"Sounds good. I have her car seat out of my poor T-Bird, Rest in Peace, in her room. I will grab it."

"Did you just RIP your car?" Arizona asked amused? "Mami is so funny, isn't she?" Arizona babbled to Sophia who was still munching on some small bites of plain chicken.

"Do you always do this?" Mark asked with a grimace on his face.

"Do what?" Arizona asked.

"Talk baby talk like that."

"I sure do!" Arizona answered him but turned her attention toward the baby. "Isn't that so? Do you like my baby talk Sophia? Do you?" Sophia let out a loud burp right in Arizona's direction.

"Didn't think so" Mark mumbled.

"Ready to head out?" Callie asked, emerging from the room with a car seat.

"Sure are!"

"Mark, you and Lexie just follow us. It will be easier than piling in the two door jeep."

"Fine. I will help with the seat."

"Oh, I can do it. We have a class that teaches how to properly install carriers and booster seats. I am kind of badass in that department!" Arizona beamed.

"Patrol Barbie... Priceless." Mark mumbled.

"Last warning Mark. Let's go."

Mark and Lexie pulled up behind the jeep while Arizona installed the car seat in the middle of the back seat. Callie bounced Sophia on her hip and babbled to her about dinner and ice cream. "Arizona, you got it?" no answer. "Arizona? Babe, you need help?" Callie called. Still no answer. Callie looked through the rear window on the opposite side of the jeep and saw Arizona frozen, eyes wide, tears streaming down her face. Shit….. "Mark, take Sophia, now!" handing off her baby to her startled father, Callie ran to the other side of the jeep and gently placed her hands on Arizona's shoulders. She could feel her shaking under her touch. "Arizona, talk to me. What is going on?" Callie saw Arizona's hands grasping the straps of the car seat. "Fuck, the car seat. Arizona, baby its ok. Sophia is ok. Logan is ok. Relax. Come here." Callie turned Arizona around slowly. Arizona allowed herself to be moved by Callie's warm hands. When she turned and saw her concerned eyes, she lowered her head to Callie's shoulder and began to cry silently. Callie wrapped a protective arm around her back and held her face to her shoulder. "What happened?"

"What the hell is the matter?" Mark said gruffly, causing Arizona to jump.

"Damnit Mark, do you have to be an asshole all the time? There was a baby during my crash that was in a car seat and hurt badly. Arizona worked on him and he is healthy now. You hear me Arizona? He is healthy now ok?" She put her hand over Arizona's exposed ear. "She has nightmares about it. It was a hard thing for her. Just put Sophia in your car seat and we will meet you at the Ice cream shop. The one on fifth. We will be there in a minute."

Mark did as instructed and soon left Arizona and Callie alone in the parking lot. "I am so sorry." Arizona muttered into her shoulder.

"It's ok sweetie. What happened? Was it the car seat?"

"I guess so. I just could see him again. I tried to shake it from my memory but then…I… I saw Sophia bleeding the same way. I tried to shake it, I really did. I am sorry."

"It's ok. It isn't your fault. Do you think that maybe you should talk to someone about these memories?"

"Maybe. I am sorry you have to deal with me like this Calliope."

Callie pulled Arizona away from her so that she could look her in the eye. "I would not want to deal with anyone else Arizona. I promise. I am in this with you. I am sorry it is so tough for you."

"Maybe I am just not cut out for this. I don't see other officers doing shit like this."

"Arizona that is what absolutely makes you perfect for this job. Is it tough? Yes. So is every other job in different ways. You care. That is why it hurts. Because you care. And that, that is what makes you more than cut out for this. If you have doubts I will support you. But this is your dream. I can see it in your eyes every time you talk about a pursuit when you get your man. Every time you help someone in need. It is amazing. And it is who you are."

"You always know exactly what to say"

"Yea well, if you are badass at car seat installations then I am bad ass at pep talks and breaking bones. Boom."

Arizona chuckled at Callie's choice of words. "You boomed…."

Callie laughed and pulled Arizona into a tight hug. "Now let's get this top down and get some wind in our hair!"

"Thank you."


	16. Chapter 16

"Ok Balloons are blown, streamers are up, Mark is picking up the cake, Sophia will be up from her nap in about an hour. And everyone else will be here in 2 hours. What are we missing?" Arizona asked breathlessly from running around the apartment decorating for Sophia's second birthday party.

"What's missing is a kiss for your girlfriend."

"Ah…ok" She planted a kiss on Callie's lips and closed her eyes tightly, savoring the moment.

I don't know if I can wait another whole hour!" Arizona whined…. "I am so excited!"

"I think I can find good use for that excitement" Callie murmured as she moved herself into Arizona's body, pushing her hips against the blonde and grabbing her hip bones for leverage. Callie licked her bottom lip and stared at Arizona's mouth, clearly showing her intentions.

"Hm… Mark should be another thirty minutes…" Arizona placed light kisses along Callie's jawline and down to the soft skin of her neck.

Callie's hands slipped under the hem of Arizona's shirt, dragging her fingernails over the soft skin of her abdomen.

"Race you to the bedroom." Callie whispered before sprinting out of the room, shedding clothes in the hallway and at the entrance to the bedroom.

Arizona bit her bottom lip, watching the increasingly visible skin of her partner as it darted away from her. "Don't have to tell me twice."

Both women tried to make themselves as presentable as possible as they heard Mark enter the apartment. Running her fingers through her hair and straightening her shirt, Callie walked out of the bedroom, Arizona close behind. Mark eyed both women suspiciously. Callie caught his gaze. "Arizona is quite ticklish… Got the cake?" Callie asked trying to deter Mark's suspicions.

"Blondie. Hallway. Now."

"Mark… cut it out" Callie glared.

"Blondie… Hallway."

"It's ok Callie. Be right back" Arizona reassured her.

Arizona and Mark entered the hallway and before she could speak a word Mark started.

"What are your intentions Arizona?"

"Wow… no Blondie or patrol Barbie or…"

"Your intentions"

"With Calliope?"

"With Callie. Yes."

"Well I guess I have not really thought about my intentions. I don't know how to answer that. What is this about?"

"You helped her plan our daughter's birthday party. You pick Sophia up from daycare if we are stuck at the hospital. She is going to ask you to move in with her… I want to know what your intentions are with her."

"She is going to ask me to move in?"

"Arizona… intentions" Mark barked.

"Well um… I don't know Mark. What are your intentions with Lexie? I mean, how to I answer that. I love her Mark. Do I know exactly where we will be in a month or a year? No. I have tried to not plan every detail because she and I have both been burned and she has Sophia to think about. But I love her. I haven't even told her that but I do. And I love Sophia. More than I ever thought I could love anyone. I…I don't know how to explain it. Ok, I find her… miraculous. Everyday. I see her smile in a different way or she tells a story about a patient and I see her eyes light up. I came out of the shower last week and saw her cuddled with Sophia on my bed and I couldn't breathe, couldn't move. I wanted that moment to last forever. So you ask me my intentions… to love her Mark. To love your daughter. I will make mistakes and hurt her but my intentions are to bring as much joy and laughter to her life and I possibly can. To be consistent. To be her safe place to come home to. To be everything that Erica wasn't and undo what George did to her. To love her, Mark. Is that enough or should I go on?"

"She has been hurt" Mark said, staring at Arizona. "And my daughter. That is my daughter in there."

"I know. I know she has. And I know it is your daughter. But Callie deserves to be happy. And Sophia deserves to be loved by as many people as possible. Those are my intentions, Mark. Nothing else."

Mark inspected Arizona with a clenched jaw. "She is nervous. About tonight. When she gets nervous she rambles. Don't let her stall or she will chicken out. I will take Sophia at 7. Keep Callie on track. And say yes."

"Why are you doing this?"

"She loves you. My daughter loves you. You haven't hurt her. Her biggest complaint about you is that Sophia won't sleep in her bed anymore because you hold her when she sleeps. You are lucky to have her. And I don't want you to screw it up. So say yes."

Arizona tried to form words but before she could put a voice to any of them Mark was inside the apartment.

"Mark was that necessary?" Callie scolded.

"It's ok sweetie" Arizona defended. "Let's get that birthday girl up and un-groggy before her guests arrive!"

Callie let out an exhausted sigh and fell onto the sofa next to Arizona. "Wow, I would say that was a success."

"I would say so" Arizona responded. "Two new outfits, a stethoscope, game of operation, a rocking horse, and a new bedroom comforter. Oh and that was only from us…." Arizona smirked looking at her girlfriend.

"I guess we did go a little overboard."

"It's ok. She deserves it. She is a pretty great kid. I attribute that to her mother."

"Well I have had a lot of help... You know over these past few months you have been so great. With me, with her, with Mark. I would have never thought…"

"I love you Callie"

Callie sat for several seconds, letting Arizona's words sink in. Never breaking eye contact she asked "You do?"

Arizona smiled sweetly, shook her head, and responded, "I do."

"Why?"

"Because I can't think of one reason not to" Arizona revealed

"And Sophia?"

"I love her too."

"I….. We love you too"

Arizona smiled and leaned in for a kiss, "Good."

Callie returned the soft kiss and pulled Arizona in for a tight hug. She placed her mouth right over Arizona's ear and took a slow, calculated breath. "Move in with me. With us."

Arizona broke the hug to look Callie in the eyes, smile creeping across her face.

Callie continued, "We are great together. We spend all of our time together anyway. I want you to be there in the morning. Every morning. I mean I don't want you to feel pressured and if you say no then it is totally ok. Well not totally ok but it will be ok. And I know that you…"

Arizona's smile grew as she watched her girlfriend start to ramble, just as Mark predicted. Taking pity on her nerves, she cut off her sentence, "If I said yes will you take a breath?"

"Yes."

"Then yes. I would love to."

Callie captured Arizona's lips in a fierce kiss.

"Meet me in OUR bedroom in five minutes," Callie whispered after breaking the intense kiss.

"Make it three" Arizona responded, placing soft kisses down Callie's jawline.

Callie jumped off of the sofa and hurried to the room, "Deal."

Arizona let her head fall to the back of the sofa. "Yea, I would say tonight was a success."


	17. Chapter 17

"I am heading home. Karev, can you take my last rounds for me? I have been here 30 hours and Arizona has to leave in an hour to go to work and she has Sophia."

"Yea sure" the gruff male murmered.

Callie sent a quick text message to Mark, "I have her from 7 to 1 while you sleep but you take her from 1 until 6 so I can sleep. Arizona will take her for the rest of the night."

"Ok. Lexie is off tonight if you want to give Blondie a break."

"I will tell ARIZONA to message her if she wants to take her up on the offer. Thanks."

Callie sent off the last text message while jumping in her car and rushing home to relieve her girlfriend of Mommy duties.

Walking in the apartment she could smell that Arizona had made a fresh pot of coffee and there was a smell of cinnamon rolls coming from the oven. "She did remember….." Trotting off to the bedroom with a genuine smile across her face, she opened the door to find Arizona dressed in her work pants and undershirt propped up on her elbow on the bed. Arizona was rubbing small circle's on Sophia's back and she shushed Callie as she walked into the room.

When Callie was close enough to hear her whispers, she looked at her…"She had a bad dream. She snuck in here about thirty minutes ago, scared the hell out of me when I saw shadow creep across the room. She asked for cuddles so I put her in bed and laid with her until she fell asleep."

"Cuddles huh?"

"Well I kind of offered. She just accepted."

Callie smiled at the sight.

"Do you know what today is?"

"Um, it's definitely a Wednesday…"

"True… but..."

"Buuutttt…..?"

"It is a year babe."

"A year….."

"Twelve months since we met"

"Wow. I guess it has been. You kept track?"

"Looks that way. You don't?"

"It must have slipped my mind."

"Slipped your mind?"

"I am sorry babe" Arizona whispered, focusing her attention back on the sleeping girl in her arms.

"Slipped your mind….. ok… I am going to get in the shower. Be safe at work. I guess."

"Baby you are mad?"

"No. I mean. No…. It's fine. I mean why remember something like that. It is not like it is important. In fact you seem to be forgetting things a lot lately. Forgetting to meet me two weeks ago for date night… Well I guess that is the only thing but…"

"Baby you are going to wake Sophia. Do me a favor, grab my weapon out of the night stand for me. I don't want to leave her just yet."

Being thoroughly frustrated with Ariona's attitude, she walked to the night stand, eyes still looking at Arizona. She opened the drawer and blindly felt around for the cold metal. Not able to find it, she turned her attention to the drawer and shuffled through various papers and books, her hand finding an object which had previously not resided in the table. Taking it out she discovered a black velvet box with a red bow on top. Her eyes quickly shot back to Arizona on the bed. She was met with a huge dimpled smile. "Open it." She said.

Arizona crossed the room and tried, with shaking hands, to help open the box. Both women were able to remove the top, revealing a small, elegant diamond ring on a silver band. Three small diamonds adorned the setting. "Happy Anniversary Calliope."

Callie raised her tear filled eyes to meet stunning blue, taking her in a tight hug after slipping the ring on her finger.

"It is perfect" Callie whispered.

"I had you going huh?"

"You did."

"I picked it up two weeks ago. It took me so long to decide on the perfect one that…"

"You were late for our date" realizing her accusatory words just seconds ago.

Arizona smiled…."I was late for our date.

"I would say all is forgive."

"Awesome" Arizona smiled before kissing her girlfriend.

"By the way I am super flattered that you keep track! Twelve months huh…. So you are a mom so you are qualified to answer this….when do you stop counting months in a relationship? Is it kind of like when you have a baby. In the beginning he is six weeks and 12 weeks. Then he is 15 months and 24 months. When do you just start saying, yea he is 4?"

Callie chuckled. "The things that go through your head…."

"I have to go to work babe. You take care of the little one and let me know if I need to pick either of you up anything on my way home from work. I will call to check on you two in a few hours. Take a nap with her." Arizona shouted on her way to the door after two kisses, one for Sophia and one for Callie. "I love you both!"

"Love you too! Be careful baby." Callie shouted, snuggling up to her baby "Please be careful" she whispered.


	18. Chapter 18

Both women were adjusting to the move quite well. They had spent every night together, barring the nights that either had to work a night shift. Both had settled into a comfortable routine. They had frequent family dinners together with Mark and Lexie and often would sit around with a bottle of wine and watch Sophia wind down for the night. Mark had become more tolerable of Arizona and her baby talk. He actually seemed to care for the blonde and saw that she treated Callie the way that he would treat her himself. As much as he hated to admit it, his baby girl loved her. And Arizona loved his daughter. They talk and play as though she had been there her whole life. Mark was confident that when he was not around, that Callie and Sophia were both in good hands. He still mocked her hair and her occasional baby rants with Sophia, but she was a good girl. A good person for his daughter. A good choice for his friend. He sat back remembering a scare they had about two months ago. Callie and Arizona were just getting into a comfortable relationship, devoid of all the newness and insecurities. Callie was home with a sick Sophia, laying on the couch watching Saturday morning cartoons. There was a news brief on tv which cut off the regular programming. Callie called him in hysterics. He was hardly able to make out a word.

"_Torres, what's up? How is Sophia feeling?" Mark answered into the phone_

"_Mark…Police shooting. Barbara St. That is her beat. Two officers down. No names released." Oh god what if it's her? It can't be her right? She is smart. It can't be her. But that is her beat. She was there two hours ago when she called to check on the baby."_

"_Torres, slow down. I will be right over."_

_Mark burst through the apartment door and sat at Callie's side and watched the news story unfold._

_The newscaster appeared on the television in front of a house surrounded by crime scene tape. Several men in dress clothes walked around the scene, in and out of the roped off area. "Please just show her. Just show Arizona" Callie prayed._

_The newscaster began his report "Officials say that two officers were gunned down just hours ago in the front yard of this residence behind me. One is in critical condition and another is stable but will require surgical repairs for injuries resulting from the shooting. Gunfire rang out just after 9am this morning while officers were trying to detain a subject known for several attacks on women in the Seattle area. Witnesses say that there was more than one gunman and Officers returned fire but the suspect fled back into the house. As we receive more information we will again interrupt regular broadcasting. Stay tuned._

"_Mark call… call them. Ask for her."_

"_Just wait a minute Callie… they will not tell us anything over the phone anyway. Just see if they release anymore information. Try to find another news station. Let's see if they have any more information. Have you tried calling her?"_

"_No. Mark I can't. What if she doesn't answer? What if someone else answers and tells me it is her. I can't." Sophia woke to her mother's frantic words and immediately sensed fear. She began crying and pulling on her mother's shirt. Callie grabbed her and held her close, trying to breathe and remain calm._

"_Ok. I will call her ok?" Mark said as he looked intently as Callie._

"_I don't know if I can…"_

"_You don't have to. I will do it."_

_Mark pulled out his phone out of his jeans pocket and flipped to her number. As the phone rang he found himself praying to hear her voice on the other end. When he finally did hear her voice it was her voicemail message. Shit._

"_Um, it didn't go through. She must not have service. I will try again in a minute." Mark lied, trying to help Callie remain as calm as possible. _

_Callie saw another news break on the television._

"_Officials have not yet released the names of the victims but Lt. Michael Hale with Seattle PD advised that the department is reeling the effects of the attack on their officers, and will not stop until all responsible are handled accordingly."_

"_Mark that is her Lieutenant. That is Mike. It was her people hit." _

_The reported interrupted Callie's words "Lt… Lt, can you give us any information about the events that led to the shooting."_

"_It is my understanding that three officers arrived at a particular location on Barbara St. in order to arrest a subject linked to several sexual assaults. Two more officers were called to the scene due to the seriousness of the charges. As soon as the officers approached, individuals inside the house began shooting through the windows. Several officers were hit, two were unable to retreat due to their injuries and unfortunately sustained more gunfire. Both officers are alive right now. If not for the efforts of their fellow partners who pulled them out of harms way, there might have been a much different outcome._

"_Mark, call the hospital! Call them!"_

_As Mark jumped off of the couch to retrieve the phone that he left on the kitchen island, the door to the apartment opened. Arizona took two weary steps into the apartment and Callie ran to her and grabbed her in a bone crushing hug. She kissed every inch of Arizona's face, never realizing that Arizona stared straight ahead, not responding to her. "Arizona thank God. Oh my… I was so scared. I heard about the shooting, it is all over the news. Baby, are you ok? You have blood on you. Are you ok?" no answer. "Arizona look at me. Are you ok?" Arizona slowly turned her eyes to meet Callies. She raised her right hand, wrapped it around the back of Callie's neck, and buried her face in her shoulder. Arizona's hand dropped from Callie's neck as her body was racked with sobs. "Come on, lets get you out of that shirt." Arizona slowly unbuttoned her blood soaked uniform top and Callie slipped it off of her shoulder. Arizona stood in her vest, and uniform pants and grabbed Callie into her arms again. _

"_I just need a second ok?"_

"_Ok baby." Callie whispered as she ran small circles over her back and held her close. In just five seconds she went from a complete basket case to having to be a rock for this person who had just witnessed her own men being gunned down. She felt Arizona's breath even out and what felt to be a few deep breaths to regain composure. She held her in her arms and would do so until she was asked to move. She then felt stronger arms wrap around her and Arizona both. Looking up, she saw Mark, face full of concern, enveloped them both in a strong hug. Rubbing his hand up and down Arizona's back. Obviously not wanting to feel left out, Sophia trotted off of the sofa and with a few sniffles from the crying fit just seconds ago, she wrapped one arm around Callie's leg and another arm around Arizona's leg. The four stood motionless for several minutes, each wanting to offer nothing but support and comfort. _

"_I'm ok…I….I'm ok" Arizona whispered slowly. Each person slowly peeled off of her, giving her space to breathe and process. "I don't want to talk about it right now ok? If that is ok. I know you were scared. I am sorry. I tried to call but I was shaking so much. But I tried. I did not forget about you." She was staring directly at Callie. "Throughout it all , I never once was not thinking about you. I want to shower. Then if we can, I want to sit down and do anything but think…" Her voice was shaky, and her face sullen. Her eyes red from shed tears and her hands scraped and red. "Can we do that?" _

"_Of course."_

"_K. I will be back."_

_Arizona walked past the crowd watching her intently, to the bathroom where she stripped all of her clothes and stepped into a scalding hot shower. "I can do this." She closed her eyes and let her head rest on the wall behind her. So distracted with hr memories, she did not feel the shower door open. Her eyes shot open as she felt a cold hand touch her face. Callie. _

"_I just wanted you to know that you do not have to do this alone. I am not going to run away. I am not going to blame you. When you are ready to talk I will be here. If you are never ready to talk, I will still be here."_

"_I am sure you were scared. I am sure you are angry with me for being there and, if it was me you would have to explain to Sophia. You probably regretted letting me into her life so soon. I wouldn't blame you."_

"_I do not regret a single day. A single play date. A single meal that you were present for. A single day that you spent with our daughter. I was scared, Arizona. Of course I was. But angry? not at you. I know you can take care of yourself. You have proved it time and time again. I am here ok? We are here. And we love you. Whenever you are ready."_

_Callie held Arizona under the stream of water until her muscles began to relax and her tears stopped falling. Arizona knew that Callie did not need the added stress of worrying about her. She knew that Sophia did not need someone to come into and leave her life. She knew that this was not ideal for them and that she was the source of their pain today. And it broke her. She held Callie and apologized. Over and over again. Callie held her and reassured her after every apology. "I love you. We are ok." Arizona wanted more than anything to bury her fears deep within her and be the stoic person she was on Barbara St. today. But Callie deserved more. She deserved an open partner who is able to talk and work through fear and anger. She also knew that if she did not start now that she might never have the nerve. _

"_I am ready now."_

_The two women stayed in the shower until the water ran cold talking about every detail of the attack. Every emotion that Arizona felt. Every act that she was able to articulate as though it happened in slow motion. And she listened as Callie reciprocated with her own report of how she felt and reacted. Each understanding each other's fears, each other's concerns, and each other's strengths. As soon as the water was cut off, the conversation ended and Arizona toweled off the water while washing away the memories. At least for the night. Tomorrow she would have to be strong for her fellow officers. But tonight, with her family, she was going to be the same Arizona that she was before the attack. She was going to be strong for Sophia and sensitive to Callie and she was going to let them take care of her in a way that she was never able to before. _


	19. Chapter 19

"It is with great honor and pride that this award be presented to Lieutenant Arizona Robbins"

Arizona stood in her dark blue dress uniform as applause erupted in the auditorium. With a chaste kiss to Callie's cheek and a kiss on Sophia's forehead, she walked to the front of the crowd. Shaking Lt. Hale's hand, she accepted a purple pin and medal in a black box with a smile. She waited for the applause to die down before speaking.

"I have never really been good at this kind of stuff" she started. With a deep breath and a look to her Callie, Mark, Lexie, and Sophia she nodded and continued. "That day was one of the most trying days that I have experienced, well that any of us have experienced. I have never used the word "hero" before but after seeing the actions of my team that day, I can use no more appropriate word to describe the men and women who wear this uniform. One name may be remembered, but if not for each and every person involved that day, we might be gathering for a much more somber occasion today." Arizona fingered the medal and pin in her hand. "We did what we are trained to do. We acted. WE…acted. We ran toward the gunfire when everything in our bodies told us to run the opposite direction. I accept this honor with a humble heart and more pride in a group of people than I can put words to. Everyone of you deserve to be up here in front of your family and peers. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, and know that I am so proud. And so thankful to have the opportunity to serve beside all of you. Thank you."

More applause ripped through the small auditorium and Arizona was bombarded with hand shakes and pictures. She accepted each with a shy smile and made her way to her family in the front row.

"Lt. Robbins… well done" Callie smiled.

"I love you" she smiled.

XXXXXXXXX

After the ceremony, all five went back to Callie and Arizona's apartment for a late lunch.

"You were amazing, sweetie" Callie said standing in the kitchen beginning to prepare the meal.

"Thanks" Arizona said without making eye contact

"Yea, I mean you never told us half of the stuff that happened that day. It is pretty badass, Blondie" Mark's gruff voice rang out with a hint of pride.

"Don't you think she has earned being called by her name by now?" Lexie questioned from Mark's lap.

"Eh… formalities. Blondie likes it… don't you?"

Arizona gave a small smile and absentmindedly nodded once. "I am going to go change out of these clothes. Be back in a minute" she said before leaving the room.

"What's with her? Shouldn't she be happy? This is a big day for her" Mark questioned no one in particular.

Callie defended "It is a hard few weeks for her. Her men were shot. And she is uncomfortable with the award. She will be ok"

"Momma…." Sophia said, looking at the door that Arizona left out of.

"Baby Mami is right here…what's wrong?" Callie said sweetly while focusing her attention back on lunch.

"Momma…"

"Baby Momma is right…" Callie looked to her daughter but cut her words short noticing that Sophia was not looking in her direction.

"Did she…?" Mark asked with an open mouth, staring at Sophia.

Callie picked her jaw up and moved to her daughter.

"Did you teach her that?" Mark asked, questioning Callie.

"No… I didn't."

Lexie laughed out loud but quickly cut it short after seeing Mark's face.

"Oh come on, what, you want her to call her Blondie for the rest of her life" Lexie laughed.

Callie stopped in front of her child. "Baby, what did you say?"

"Momma…." Sophia whined as her signature bottom lip began to swell from her little face.

"Are you calling Arizona?" Callie asked the baby. "I think she is calling Arizona" She said again, looking to the couple.

Sophia pointed a finger toward the door that Arizona exited out of. "Momma…"

"Well let's go get her!" Callie exclaimed, picking up Sophia and kissing her on the cheek.

"Arizona…. Arizona…. Baby did you hear what Soph….."

Callie stopped in the doorway when she saw the blonde with her head in her hands, crying silently on the bed. "Baby…. Sophia, go sit with daddy" she said, ushering the child out of the room.

"Arizona what is wrong baby. Today is a good day."

"I know. I just don't think I can do it."

"Do what?"

"This."

Callie's heart began beating faster, fearing what was to come.

"Us?"

Arizona looked up with tear filled eyes. "No Calliope. The force. I don't think I can do it anymore."

"God…" Callie breathed, relief washing over her. "Why? They honored you today. They love you. What is going on."

Arizona dropped her head and scrubbed her face with her hands.

"Talk to me sweetie."

"I ran toward the shots Callie. Before my men were even hit. It could have been me. It should have been me with how reckless I was. I looked up as I was running to the house and the man at the window, he was shooting at me. He looked at me and fired a shot but he missed. And I froze. I saw you. And Sophia. And Mark, God knows why I saw Mark, but I did. And all of our memories went through my head. And I pulled my weapon and I fired back. All the while thinking about how I would never see you again. Never hold her again. Never hear anyone call me Blondie again. And I was so scared. I have never been scared to die doing what I love. What always scared me is failing. Failing to help someone or save a life or doing more harm than good. What always scared me was being unable to act. But now, picturing my life without you and that beautiful little girl… that is what scares me. I do not want to be the reason you hurt. I do not want to be just a memory to that baby. I don't want to die, Callie. I don't. I have too much to live for. I have you. I just don't want to do it anymore."

Arizona's sobs were louder now and Callie, not knowing the words to say, held her tight.

"Baby I never want to be the reason that you give up your dream."

"I thought that police work was my dream. But I was wrong. You. You are my dream. This life. Sophia. Dreams change. And this is it."

The two sat for several minutes just being with each other before they heard little steps padding into the room.

"Momma no cry" said a sweet voice from the foot of the bed.

Arizona answered… "Baby your Mami isn't crying. She is ok… see?" as she turned Callie to look at Sophia.

"She wasn't talking to me" Callie whispered, turning back to Arizona.

"Momma… you no cry" Sophia said again, keeping her eyes locked with Arizona's.

Arizona did cry. But not for the same reasons as before. She scooped up her little love and held her tight to her chest. Sophia craned her neck backwards to look at the blonde and patted the sides of her face just like she had always done. "Momma no cry."

"Ok baby… I'll stop crying. I love you, ya know?"

"Wuvs you too" the baby quickly responded.

Arizona knew that she had to let many people down with her decision and the time to reevaluate her career would come tomorrow. But tonight, she was a Momma to a little girl and had a beautiful, supporting, loving partner beside her. And that was all she needed.


	20. Chapter 20

Arizona sat in a small office admiring the awards and medals that adorned the walls. She wringed her hands nervously as the Chief of Police patiently waited for her to begin. "Sir I know that what I am about to say may come as a disappointment which is the last thing that I want to do, and please know that I cherish my time in the force and my time with my guys. And it is such an honor to be promoted and to receive the Medal of Valor. This was a dream of mine. To make a difference . And I have gained life long friends in the process. I would not trade the memories for anything…" Arizona paused. "But sir, I came here today to resign my position."

"Resign, Lt. Robbins?"

"Yes… yes sir."

"Do you care to explain to me why?" Echoed the gruff male's voice as he leaned back in his chair. This caused Arizona to wince, knowing that she may soon lose her resolve if met with disapproval from her men.

Arizona took a deep breath, eyes fluttering from the man in front of her to the wall behind him. "Ok, Sir. 7 years ago I joined this Department on a mission. To heal a hurt that I could not heal on my own. All the long hours, the dangers of the job, the jumping over fences chasing perps…well it was worth it, Sir. And I mean no disrespect at all…I just… well I just don't feel like it is worth it anymore." Arizona's eyes flicked to the man in front of her, gauging his reaction. "I have thought about this every second of everyday for the past few weeks and leaving my guys is one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But Chief, when I go home to my family, it makes the decision easier. And I know that people will think that I got soft or that women are not cut out for this job, and it hurts me that I will be the cause for those comments and thoughts. But I have something other than police work to live for. I just don't want to be a target anymore."

"Lt. Robbins. I think that when you base these types of decisions on relationships that you are making a mistake. If it doesn't work out then you will always regret giving this up for her."

"I have thought about that, sir. Long and hard. Trust me. But I think it is more than that. If it doesn't work out will I be devastated? Yes. But will I regret giving her the safety and security of someone who comes home every night without wielding a gun on her hip? No. I will not regret that. I became an Officer because I felt that Julie did not deserve what was done to her. And I wanted to protect her and protect others like her. Well I have two people like her sitting at home watching cartoons and worrying about me right now. And it is time that I start protecting them."

"You have always been an admirable Officer, Lt. I regret seeing you leave us."

Arizona lowered her head, breaking eye contact. "Thank you Chief. I appreciate..."

"So don't."

Arizona's eyes met his and with a look on confusion and worry she continued. "Sir, I have made my decision. This is not about money or a raise or anything like that. I do not expect anything from you or the Department. It is just something that I have to do."

"Lt. Robbins. I respect your decision to leave patrol duties. But if you walk away from police work you are a fool. You have what many only dream of, courage, brains, heart. You are in this for the right reasons. So… It is my understanding that Lt. Barrios in S.C.D. will be retiring in a few months. Your name was already on the top of the list for a voluntary transfer based on the case you built on that perp on Barbara St."

"Sex Crimes Division…"

"You will be within the confines of an office unless you deem otherwise necessary. Your duties will be to assist victims of Sex Crimes in their rehabilitation. Setting up counseling, protection services, being with them through the court process…. It will not be as exciting, but you were made for this job Arizona."

Arizona smiled at the offer in front of her, but her insecurities still nagging at her. "You must think that I am some typical emotional woman… world revolving around relationships and babies" She said lowering her eyes.

The man in front of her put a reassuring hand over hers. "You have put in many good years to this department. You have been selfless and dedication and motivated. It is about time that you take a little time for yourself. Be selfish for once. Try out S.C.D. and if you hate it then we will reevaluate. But if you think that I am going to let you walk out of this office and never come back, well you have another thing coming." A smile shown across the man's face. "Take a few months. You have the vacation stored up anyway. Get back with me in a few weeks. Arizona… really think about it. Do me that one favor."

"I will Chief" Arizona said as a wide smile spread across her face. "I will. Thank you so much." She stood an extended her hand toward the man.

She watched with wide eyes as he stood, walked around the desk between them, and wrapped her arms around her back, pulling her in for a tight hug. "You go be selfish for a while Lt. Robbins. And when you get the itch… and it won't take long, trust me…. give me a call. I will personally see to it that you have a job here when you want it."

Arizona pulled back from the hug and met his dark eyes. "Thank you sir." She turned and began to walk out of his office, excited to tell Callie of the new opportunities ahead of them.


	21. Chapter 21

**Just wanted to say thanks to all of you who have reviewed and added my story to your alerts. I have gotten some really great ideas for where to take the story. It was originally going to wind down after the car seat flash back incident but I kept getting ideas to extend it. Hope I am not drawing this out miserably. It won't be very much longer but I wanted to reach an obstacle or two to see if their relationship could get through it. I feel like I write a lot of fluff, which I absolutely love, but it might not make for the most realistic story. Anywho… I hope you enjoy. And, as always, if you have any ideas about additions to the story that might make it more interesting I would love to hear them. Thanks!**

Arizona walked into her and Callie's apartment, trying to find the words to tell her girlfriend that she might, in fact, not be leaving the police department. Seeing Callie at work fixing lunch, she set her keys down and took a seat at the kitchen table. "Hey hottie" she called in Callie's direction. Callie turned when she heard Arizona, her eyes smiling brightly.

"Hey yourself! You look good. They took the news well?"

"Well, not exactly as expected" Arizona answered.

Callie washed her hands and took a seat across from her girlfriend at the table.

"Where's the baby?" Arizona asked

"Mark took her for lunch."

"Ah. Ok." Arizona stalled.

"Ok….. so?"

"Chief did not let me resign."

"What? What do you mean didn't let you? Can he do that?"

"Kind of." Arizona responded, noticing the angry look on Callie's face.

"So you are still a cop? I thought you wanted out" Callie responded with more bite in her voice than intended.

Arizona, immediately feeling slightly attacked, narrowed her eyes and grimaced. "I thought you didn't have a problem with me being a cop. I thought you understood."

Callie rethought her words and dropped get gaze from Arizona's angry stare. "Well I didn't know there was an alternative before. It was just part of the package. But when you brought up wanting out, well I thought about the alternative. And I liked the alternative. A lot more than you being fucking shot at every time you go to work."

Arizona realized that Callie's anger stemmed from her intense worry and berated herself for getting defensive. "Look I was offered another position. It is still in the department but it is not patrol work. The Sex Crimes Division is going to be needing a ranking officer to assist with sexual assault victims and reparation."

"Oh" Callie responded.

"Well….."

"Well what? I mean is that something you want?"

"I don't know yet. I mean I think so. I was dead set on going in there and turning over my badge and then the Chief said that I will regret leaving the department all together and that I would have the itch to go back. And I think he is probably right. I love what I do."

"So you would change jobs just for me, but you wouldn't really be happy."

Arizona saw another flash of worry in the Latina's eyes. She took Callie's hands in hers. "No baby. Ok this is how I feel. I love police work. But what I love about it is not the excitement or the chase, I mean that keeps it interesting, but what I love is making a difference. Putting a bad guy in jail, helping someone who is scared, protecting someone who can't protect himself. And this position change, well it allows me to still do that, without necessarily being a target for every asshole out there with a cop complex. I got into police work because of a rape. And that is the population I will be helping. It is what brought me to this job."

"So this is about Julie…" Callie said softly.

"Partly. It is about helping people like her. But it is also about protecting people like you. It is about protecting children like Sophia against what happens to 1 in 3 women. It is about helping someone rebuild their life after it has been shattered. And I know that it is not really ideal to be reminded of your girlfriend's ex so often but…. Look…. She may have been what got me into this career, but this…this move, it is for us. For you and Soph. I'll be damned if Mark gets to take my place when she needs to be rocked to sleep and if something happened to me I would have no choice but to come back and haunt your next girlfriend and make her life miserable."

Callie chuckled at Arizona's attempt to lighten the mood.

Arizona continued, "I want this. I want you. I want to be 'Momma" to your daughter and to the rest of our ten kids. And well, they don't make bullet proof vests in maternity sizes."

Callie smiled broadly.

Arizona squeezed Callie's hands and took a deep breath, having said all that she needed to say, except for one thing. "I love you, ok? I want this. I want you to want this. If you don't then we will reconsider and find something else that we both want."

"Arizona, if this will make you happy then I am behind you one hundred percent. I wasn't expecting it so you caught me off guard. Sorry if I was an asshole."

"It's ok babe. You have been dating a cop for over a year, asshole just kinda rubs off on you…which sounds really weird now that I say it… Anyway. So is that a yes?"

Callie rolled her eyes at Arizona's previous blunder."I wouldn't want it any other way…." She leaned over the table to capture Arizona's mouth in a soft kiss. "And besides, I kind of like being behind you one hundred percent… the view is Aaaamazing."

"Calliope… really? Another ass joke?"

Both women's voices rang out in laughter. Arizona watched as Callie stood up and waked back to the kitchen to finish preparing the meal.

"Speaking of an amazing view….."

This earned her a towel being tossed her direction and a radiant smile from her beautiful girlfriend. "Thank you Calliope."

"I should be thanking you."

"What do you say we bring this lunch date to bed?" Arizona asked, crossing the floor to wrap her arms around Callie, placing warm kisses to the skin behind her ear and neck.

Callie's eyes fluttered shut, "I could get used to this."

Arizona smiled and responded in between kisses, "That's the point."

The two women retreated to their bedroom, lunch in tow, prepared to tackle the next phase of their relationship. "I could get used to this too" Arizona thought. "I could definitely get used to this."


	22. Chapter 22

Three weeks into her position at the SCD and six weeks after resigning from patrol, Arizona was falling into a comfortable and rewarding routine. A clientele of 9 victims which she assisted kept her busy and focused at work. She regularly thought about her men and women that she left behind on the road. She kept in touch with most of them on a daily basis. She would receive texts or calls on her lunch break letting her know about a well-known perp that was arrested again or any oddities that they would have bonded over while meeting at a coffee joint. Many of the guys that she helped train would even call her to ask questions. She was still involved. She used her connections with patrol officers to check on her victims when she couldn't get away from the office, making her even more effective in her position. She liked her work. And she was happy to admit that she and Callie had never been happier. She had made jokes with Callie that the wardrobe change was the cause of the spike in their sex life. In place of a pony tail, tactical boots, a breast squashing vest, and a gun, Arizona now donned herself on most days with curls, a feminine dress suit, and heels. The added weight on her right hip of her weapon sometimes made her clumsy in the heels, but she loved her new femininity. She would have never allowed herself the luxury of a modestly form fitting pair of slacks for fear that her men would view her as less than capable of kicking ass and taking names. And Callie had made no effort to hide her attraction when Arizona would come home in a pair of slacks that hung just right with a weapon attached to the waist band. On days when a sleeping toddler did not occupy their bed, the women took full advantage.

Arizona sat down at her desk after grabbing a much needed coffee from the office kitchen. "Morning ma'am" she addressed her friend at the desk next to hers.

"Morning Zone" her colleague smiled, calling her by her office nickname.

"Damnit, a new case?" Arizona murmured checking her computer system. "Job security I guess" she said speaking to her friend. "Juvenile female. 12 years old. God, 12? She is a baby… I can't imagine."

"Got some sick fucks out there Zone. What's the charge?"

"Carnal knowledge of a juvenile. 16 year old boyfriend. Yikes. I was kind of hoping that I would get through this job without having to work a juvenile case. Wishful thinking huh?"

Her coworker responded without looking up from her screen…"Are you kidding? I have three juvenile cases right now. Seals the deal… I am never having children. People are just waiting to do awful things to them. No thank you."

"Oh come on. Kids are amazing. You will kill yourself keeping them safe but it is so worth it."

"Yea, just wait til Sophia is a teenager. Tell me if it is worth it then when you are swinging sticks at all the boys on your front porch trying to get to her. Or girls for that matter….Sorry" the woman gave a sideways glance to Arizona and chuckled.

"Oh since I am so offended that Callie's daughter may have boyfriends" Arizona laughed. "But now that you mention it, I do need to invest in a stick. Or a baseball bat…. More sturdy." The women chuckled.

"So this is your first juvenile case, Zone?"

"This would be my first, yep."

"Oh, well the procedure is slightly different. As procedure we have to notify a few more departments. I will grab the numbers for you, give me a sec."

"Awesome, thanks Lucy…" Arizona smiled at her as she walked away before turning back to her desk and focusing on her screen. The picture at the corner of her desk caught her eye, a photo that Arizona took of Callie and Sophia both stretched out on their bellies, arms and legs spread out, both sleeping. The only thing that kept the two from being in the exact same position is that their heads were facing each other, probably a product of falling asleep while talking and laughing before succumbing to sleep. She ran her thumb across the picture. "Yea… definitely a baseball bat" she said to herself as she smiled and refocused her attention on her computer.

"Alright Zone, here is the number to Child and Family Services, we give them a heads up on all assaults just to have the documentation. Here is a number to a child psychologist and another to a pediatrician who specializes in trauma injuries. And, that should be it. Just give them all a call and when you meet with the girl give her parent or guardian the number to the psychologist and pediatrician. After that you should be good to go! Same ole same ole."

"Thank you so much! You are a God send."

"Tell my husband that, please." Both women again laughed and got back to work.

"Yes ma'am. My name is Lt. Arizona Robbins with Seattle Police Department, I am calling to schedule a meeting with you and Sarah as a follow up to the police report filed last night…" Arizona listened to the voice on the other end of the line. "Ok… yes ma'am. … Yes this is just a service that is offered to victims of crime. We offer many services and resources that we can explain to you when we meet….. 415 today? Ok that sounds good. See you then."

Dialing the number for the Family Services Department, Arizona leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a brief second, listening to the ring through the phone.

"Family Services… How can I help you?"

Arizona's eyes shot open and she say stunned for what felt like minutes.

"Hello?"

She struggled to find words. Her internal dialogue kicked into overdrive. "That voice…. There is no way." Fighting to bring herself to speak, she stuttered "I uh… Sorry…uh… this is um… Lt. Robbins. Arizona Robbins with Seattle PD. I need to make a notification please."

Silence.

"Hello?" Arizona stammered. Still no answer. "Hello?"

"Uh yes… hold please."

As music began to play on the other end of the phone indicating that she had been placed on hold, Arizona's breath quickened. "That couldn't have been her voice. Could it? God it sounds just like her. I know that voice." She was brought out of her thoughts when the music on the phone stopped. The phone made a clicking noise as thought someone picked up but no one spoke.

"Arizona…" the voice on the phone almost whispered

"….Julie…."


	23. Chapter 23

Arizona sat in her car outside of the apartment thinking. After she realized that the voice on the other end of the phone was the woman who she let get hurt 8 years ago, she had been in a haze all day. After the formalities of the notification had passed, she felt an awkward silence fall between them. She tried to make small talk with Julie and ask about her life and how work but she seemed uncomfortable and stand-off-ish. Arizona's heart ached at the thought of what was lost between them and wished that she could somehow tell her how sorry she was and how much she thought about her still today. But she stopped herself from beginning that conversation on the phone. As if reading her mind, Julie asked if they could meet for a lunch date later in the week. Against her better judgment, Arizona accepted. The two even exchanged cell number so that they could arrange the meeting without having to use office phones. Arizona was relieved. She was happy to have the opportunity to see Julie again. To hug her and apologize for everything she couldn't do 8 years ago. But more than the happiness, more than the relief, she felt guilt. "I can't do that to Callie" she thought. "God that is her biggest fear now that I am off patrol, that this job reminds me too much of Julie. And now, third fucking week on the job and I scheduled lunch with her. What the fuck am I thinking?" Not having the gumption to walk into the apartment and face the argument that would surely ensue, and feeling too transparent to lie, she pulled out her phone and sent a text message to Julie.

"I am with someone."

Feeling that that text message was too cold and calculated she continued. "I am sorry that I did not mention it earlier. I was kind of in shock to hear from you. I am sorry."

A reply, "Does this mean we cannot meet?"

Arizona's heart pounded at the conversation. Unsure of Julie's motives and unsure of her own resolve, she thought long and hard about her response. "I just do not want to put myself in a bad position."

"Then bring her….or him. I would enjoy that."

Arizona closed her phone and thought about the conversation that would have to take place between she and Callie for this meeting to happen. She was not sure that that was a conversation she wanted to have. A text message interrupted her thoughts.

"If you are anything like you used to be then she is a lucky lady. And I would like the chance to meet her. I think you deserve some answers and that is why I want to meet with you. Friends ok?"

Friends. Ok. She could do friends. With Julie's intentions clearly stated, she found a new strength and a stronger leg to stand on when confronting Callie with the topic.

Arizona walked through the apartment door as she had done hundreds of times since the move to Callie's. Throwing her keys on the table, she took her gun off of her side and set it on top of the decorative Armoire, much too high for a curious toddler to get her hands on. Just as she let the cold metal slip through her hand she was knocked gently backward by the force of a running two year old. "Momma!"

"Hey there cutie" Arizona crooned as she scooped up the little girl. "How was your day sweetheart? Were you a big girl for Mami today?"

"Uuuuuummmm yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes ma'am Momma."

"That's my girl. Where is Mami?"

"Her is in my room"

"It is 'she' baby. She is in my room."

"Ooooohhhh." Sophia drew out her word as she processed the grammar lesson.

Arizona and Sophia walked into the toddler's room to find Callie putting away clothes and picking up toys off of the floor. "Hey sweetie" she said breathlessly when she saw the blonde in the doorway.

"Hey. What you doing in here?"

"Just cleaning a little. Lexie watched her here today while I was at work so it is a little messier than normal."

"Ah." Arizona began absentmindedly helping her partner pick up the child's toys and clothes. "Soph hunny, can you go play in the living room for a minute?

Without a word Sophia had done what the blonde had asked. "Oh she wasn't in the way babe, I have been working around her for the past 30 minutes." Callie spoke.

"I know. I just kind of need to talk to you." Arizona replied, eyes focused on everything but Callie.

Callie looked questioningly at Arizona, sensing the worry in her voice and face. "Ok. What's up"

Arizona went on to tell of her day and how she had spoken with Julie. She hesitated for a long minute before blurting out that she had scheduled a lunch date with her. There was another long pause as she waited patiently for Callie to respond. But she got no such response. "Ok I am going to need you to say something."

"I think it is best that I not do that right now." Callie retorted coldly.

"Ok…. Well I respect that. Um… but yea I need you to say something."

"I have worked really hard, Arizona, to approach our difficulties and disagreements with a level and clear head. And what I really want to do right now is not a product of either of those. So I need a minute."

Arizona watched with wide eyes as Callie hurried through picking up the rest of Sophia's room and exited through the doorway. "Shit" she whispered. Just as the words exited her mouth Callie entered the room again.

"Do you still love me?" Callie asked quickly.

"Calliope… of course I still love you."

"Are you questioning whether you should be with me?"

Arizona took slow steps toward the Latina.

"No."

"Then why do you want to meet with her?"

Arizona paused right in front of Callie, mere inches apart. "I need the closure."

"Are you sure that this is all it is? Because if I let you go Arizona, if I let you go and you rekindle whatever it was that you had and you leave me… well I will kill you. And not just kill you, I mean slow and painful, like…" Her words were cut off by two strong arms wrapping around her.

"Calliope Torres, I love you. Even when you threaten to kill me, I love you. I do not want or need anyone or anything else. I just need to say some things and I need to hear some things. And I want you there by my side when it happens."

"You want me to go with you?"

"I want you to come with me. If you are comfortable with that."

"Arizona have you ever seen me when I am jealous?"

"Um… were you jealous just now when you were talking about killing me slowly?" Arizona asked with wide eyes and a sweet grin.

"No."

"Oh…Ok, then no."

"Hm…" Callie said narrowing her eyes at Arizona.

"Calliope, I want you to be there. Me and you. K? And I promise that if an ex-boyfriend of yours comes along that you want me to meet then I will suck it up and meet him. Oh wait, I live across the hall from one… hm… that's interesting" Arizona smiled as the words left her mouth, letting Callie know that she was not angry.

Callie sighed and closed her eyes. "Touche'. When is this lunch?"

"Thursday. Bad day?"

"No, that should be fine. I have a surgery at 8 am and another one at 3. As long as there are no emergencies that need these superbly skilled hands, then I will be there."

"Ah, same old humble girl that I fell in love with" Arizona joked as she kissed Callie on the cheek. "Thank you babe."

"Mhm. That little girl has been quiet for way too long. Can you go see what piece of furniture she is coloring on?

"K… I love you."

"I love you too." Callie told her girlfriend. She whispered to herself as Arizona left, "Just don't mess this up, Arizona."


	24. Chapter 24

**PART 1**

Arizona clad in black heels, a black pencil skirt, a white button down shirt, and blonde hair in loose curls waited outside of the sandwich shop for her girlfriend. She saw Callie's car pull up and began to wring her hands nervously, searching for reassurance in Callie's eyes. Callie stepped out of the car clad in blue scrub pants, a curve hugging blue scrub top with a red shirt underneath, and walked to the Arizona.

"Jesus Christ Arizona…"

"What?" Arizona asked startled.

"Do you really have to look so fucking gorgeous when we meet your long lost ex?" Callie asked, obviously flustered at the sight of Arizona.

"Babe, you bought me this!"

"Yea, immediately regretting that decision. Let's go. You ready for this? You are shaking."

"Yea. Im super nervous. But I am ok."

"Ok. I will be right by you ok? You can do this."

Arizona pulled Callie in by the shoulders and crashed their lips together, something not common when they are in public. After several lingering seconds, Arizona broke the kiss and took Callie's hand in her own. "Now or never…." 

Arizona led their way into the restaurant and looked around nervously. "There she is." She whispered. Callie allowed her to lead the way to the table and stood back as the women recognized and greeted the other.

"Julie…"

"Wow. Arizona…." Julie breathed, standing and wrapping her arms fiercely around Arizona's neck. The blonde reciprocated the hug, squeezing her back firmly. Callie watched as the women embraced for several seconds and she noticed tears in the corners of Julie's eyes. The pang of jealousy that she first felt seemed to wash away as she realized the emotions that the two women held within them for so long.

"You look good Julie. Different. But good."

"I grew up Zona, 8 years is a long time. You grew up yourself. You look…. Stunning actually… Julie tore her eyes away from the blonde in front of her and met the eyes of the Latina feet from them. Darting her eyes back to Arizona she silently asked for an introduction.

"Ah, I am sorry. Julie, this is my girlfriend, Callie Torres. Dr. Callie Torres. She is an Ortho surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital. Calliope this is Julie."

Both women shook hands and sat at the table.

"So tell me Julie, how are you? How have you been?"

"Well I am doing well. As you know I work as an advocate at Family Services. I have been there for about 4 years. It is pretty rewarding. What about yourself?"

"Well I started with PD a while back and kind of threw myself into my work. I met Callie about a year and a half ago. She was in a bad car accident and I was working that day. She has a baby, Sophia. I just switched to the SCD, needed to get off the road and make room for all those young guys." The three women paused, knowing that the real reason for the meeting was not the small talk which they were currently engaging in.

Arizona was startled when Julie loudly broke the silence "I think about you a lot…. Wow. That kind of just came out…" Arizona shifted nervously in her seat and gave Callie a sidelong glance. "Um, I have seen a lot of you. More than you have seen of me probably. You were always on tv and in your police car around town. I heard that you became a police officer and couldn't believe it. My sweet Arizona who couldn't kill a spider that crawled across the floor was now carrying a gun and driving a police car. I was so proud. So proud. And I wanted so many times to just call you or call your parents, I just… you looked sad a lot. When I saw you you looked sad and I couldn't stand the fact that I caused it."

"Julie you didn't cause it. I was just so confused. I didn't understand why you just left. I would have done anything to protect you and make sure that nothing happened to you again."

"I know Zona. I do. I don't know how to explain it. I was ashamed. Embarassed. Disgusted. I felt broken. Like I was damaged. And I was weak. My parents told me to leave you alone and I just did not know how to stand up to them. I was scared to. I was afraid that if I stood up to them and went back to you that you would hate what I had become and would not want me and I would have no one. And I needed someone." Julie's tears began to flow freely down her face as she looked between the table and Arizona. Callie kept a watchful eye on Arizona, watching for any sign that she needed comfort. The table went silent.

"I would have been there Julie" Arizona spoke quietly.

"I know. I know that now. I was just so broken. It kills me now to think about what I did and how I never gave you an explanation and I know you felt guilty. I just couldn't. And I don't know why. It got bad Zona. My parents refused to talk to me about what happened and I was having nightmares and was so scared all the time. I started finding comfort in things I shouldn't. In people that I shouldn't have. I started drinking, and I started taking medicine, too much medicine, I got mixed up in the wrong crowd. For about two years. I would see you sometimes when you would work the streets over by the bridge. I was under there sometimes trying to buy pills or something else that I thought would take the edge off. And I would see you, the complete opposite of me. And it made me feel bad about myself. Made me feel even more broken"

"Julie…"

"Just let me finish, ok? I was angry. But you were everywhere I turned. I wanted you to just see me and save me. I thought I needed to be saved. But I would have never been able to live with myself if I made you clean up my mess. That is what I kept telling myself to convince myself not to call you. I did not want you to see me that way. I did not want you to have to save me. So I started telling myself that I was going to get better so that you didn't have to save me. And I did. You brought me out of this and you didn't even know it. I got clean, Zona. 4 years in August."

Callie kept a protective watch over Arizona and promptly noticed when tears began to fill her eyes and eventually fall. Callie placed a strong hand on her thigh and squeezed. Reassuring her that she was still beside her. Without looking, Arizona placed her trembling hand over Callie's and held tightly.


	25. Chapter 25

**PART 2**

"I am sorry for being so emotional" Julie continued. "This was not my intention."

Arizona responded with a shaky voice, "No, it's ok."

"I wanted you to find me. Everything I did for those first five years was for you. And then something changed. I started doing it for me. I started going to meetings for me, not because I wanted to make you proud. It was because I wanted to make myself proud. I started going to church again, for me. I talked to my parents about that night, for me. I went to counseling, for me. And somewhere along the line it paid off. I made it. That night was the hardest thing I have ever been through. And I regret everyday that I abandoned you. But it helped me find myself. When I absolutely had to do it for myself, I did it. And that is something that I am proud of."

"Julie…." Arizona said, giving Callie's hand a tight squeeze before releasing her hand and taking Julie's hands in her own. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I didn't know what to do. I wanted more than anything to help but I feared that I would make it worse if I pushed things. I knew that I reminded you of what happened and I felt that I had disappointed you for not being there or not doing something more. They wouldn't even let me see you at the hospital. And I was so angry. And scared. I called your mother every day for a month and she told me how you were but that you needed space. Then it went to every week. Then a few times a month. Then it just hurt too much and I stopped."

Callie kept a protective hand on Arizona's leg, her heart reeling from the emotions between the two women.

"But we got our happy ending, Zona. I met someone. Her name is Jess. I met her at a rape survivor's meeting. You aren't really supposed to date people you meet at those things, and we didn't right away. It just kind of happened. She understood me. I understood her. I took care of her and was able to allow her to take care of me without feeling guilty or weak. We fit. We have been together for three years. We are getting married in February. She reminds me of you Zona. So strong. Headstrong and determined but caring and compassionate. She doesn't have your beautiful blonde hair, but she does have a Mercedes, so I guess it evens out."

Arizona laughed and wiped away her tears, finding Callie's hand again with her own.

"So you are happy…" Arizona questioned.

"I… am… truly truly happy. For the first time since the night before the attack, Zona. I am happy."

"And you were happy then…? Before? It wasn't something that I did that made it easy to leave?"

"God, no Arizona." Julie said, staring fiercely into Arizona's eyes. "You were perfect. You were amazing. Too perfect for me to feel comfortable being broken. I could not break your spirit. I just couldn't. So trusting. And honest. I felt like I would ruin you."

Arizona let her tears fall freely and looked to Callie, suddenly realizing that she was probably very uncomfortable with her conversation with Julie. Callie gave her a reassuring smile and wiped away a tear which escaped her eye. Arizona brought her hand to rest on Callie's cheek and gave her a heartfelt smile, running her thumb over Callie's cheek bone.

"And you are happy, too" Julie stated after observing this interaction.

"I am." Arizona said without breaking eye contact with Callie. "I am."

Callie wiped away another tear before kissing Arizona's palm. "I have to get back to work. Are you going to be ok babe?" She asked Arizona.

"I am." Arizona's eyes fluttered a few times from Callie to Julie, not knowing whether she should leave with Callie or stay and speak with Julie. Callie noticed her uneasiness and smiled warmly. "Why don't you come walk me out and you can get back to talking." Arizona smiled sweetly and both women stood. Callie walked to the other side of the table and, as Julie stood, she wrapped her in a tight hug. "It is so good to meet you Julie. I had heard a lot about you but her words did not do justice to your strength and character. Arizona and I are both lucky to know you. I have to go but I hope that you and Jess can come to dinner one night. You can meet Sophia, whom I am sure Arizona will talk all about once she gets the chance. It would be nice."

"That would be…. Really nice actually. I will talk to Jess. She was a little nervous about me coming to meet Arizona. But I think knowing that you were here will put her at ease."

"Alright. Well you two catch up. It was very nice meeting you" Callie again hugged Julie and looked to Arizona.

"I will walk you out, excuse me for a second Julie."

Once the women were outside Arizona wrapped Callie in a hug that stopped her in her tracks. In the middle of the parking lot the two women held each other tightly. "You are…..amazing, Calliope."

"So I have been told."

Arizona laughed. "Do you know how much I love you?"

"I have an idea. Just remember that when she is talking about your beautiful blonde hair again." Callie smiled, letting Arizona know that she was joking. "I have to go baby. Go talk. I trust you. And I love you." Callie kissed her girlfriend and walked to her car, giving her a genuine smile before driving off.

"I love you too."

Arizona entered the restaurant again, sitting in front of Julie.

"She is gorgeous"

Arizona smiled. "She is. And brilliant. You know she is single-handedly heading up a project that is creating synthetic cartilage? It could be ground breaking. She has been nominated for the Harper Avery which, I don't know if you are familiar, but it is a huge deal. She is such a good mother. And she is just…. Perfect. She pulled me out of a dark place."

"You look so happy Arizona."

"I am… I really am" She said smiling

"I am happy for you. You guys gonna get married?"

"I haven't really thought about it. We haven't discussed it. I mean it is not like it would change anything. We live together. Sophia calls me Momma. Oh Julie, Sophia… you would absolutely love her. She is the spitting image of Callie, dark olive skin, black hair, big chocolate brown eyes. She has the cutest little laugh. And she is so happy. All the time. Just happy. For no good reason. It is so refreshing. Sometimes I hold her when she is sleeping and I just…" Arizona lowered her gaze and blushed. "I am sorry, you probably don't care about any of this."

"No, no. Go ahead. Please."

"Ok. Well I just feel so lucky. "

"You are lucky, Arizona. We both are."

"Well what made you want to get married?"

"Hm. That is a good question. One day I just looked at her and calling her my girlfriend seemed so juvenile. What I felt for her didn't deserve to be summed up the same way as a high school relationship. The thought of losing her… well I just couldn't think about it. And I just knew. I knew that I wanted to make it official. Not that that matters I guess. But she deserves it." Julie smiled.

Arizona smiled at Julie, reached her hand across the table and took Julie's in her own. "I still care so much about you Julie. I always have."

"I know, Zone. I love you, too. I probably always will. This is good though. This new friendship. It is good."

Arizona gave Julie's hand a squeeze and smiled. "Well I should let you get back to work. I probably need to do so myself." The women stood and pulled each other in for a tight hug.

"Bye Julie"

"Bye Zona"


	26. Chapter 26

"I just don't know, Arizona! I don't think that it is that odd for me to feel weird about you hanging out with your ex, who by the way all but professed her love for you when I was right across the table!"

"What? What are you talking about? She did not profess her love for me and you said you understood. You invited her to dinner for fuck's sake!"

"I invited her and her WIFE, Arizona!" Callie raised her voice, "And I was just trying to be polite. I didn't think that she would accept. Nor did I think that you would see it appropriate to continue a relationship with her!"

"Calliope Torres, calm down. You are screaming and your daughter is sleeping down the hall."

Callie took a deep breath and began pacing. "It is disrespectful. You have all this history with her but you have a present with me. Here. So who is in your future, Arizona? Huh? Do I need to start preparing Sophia for you to run out for some girl you never got over? Should I let her stay for dinner when she meets Julie? Should I start telling her that her momma is going to run off for some…"

"You leave Sophia out of this, do you understand me? What the hell is your problem?"

"THIS ARIZONA. This is my problem" Callie said holding up Arizona's phone to reveal several calls to and from Julie within the past few days. Arizona opened her mouth to contest Callie's words when Sophia caught her eyes, standing in the doorway, both hands roaming around her mouth nervously. She quickly closed the gap to her and the child, glancing at Callie on the way.

"Baby, why aren't you sleeping?" she asked sweetly, picking up the child. Sophia looked wide eyed at her as tears began falling down her face. Her little eyes brown drew together and her chin quivered before she buried her face in Arizona's neck. Arizona gave her a kiss on the temple and walked her back to her bedroom, glancing at Callie as she turned the corner.

Arizona sat in the rocking chair in Sophia's room, cradling the toddler and singing, trying to calm her fears. "I am sorry baby. I promise that won't happen again."

"Mami mad."

"Yea baby. But she isn't mad at you. She is mad at me. But I will make it better. Ok? When you wake up it will be all better."

Sophia nuzzled back into Arizona's neck and she softly shushed her as her tears continued to fall. Callie appeared in the doorway and stood silently, waiting to speak until she was sure her daughter was asleep. Arizona looked coldly at the woman in the doorway before she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Several moments passed and Sophia's breath had evened and her hands hung loosely. Arizona was brought out of her thoughts by Callie's words. "I will not do this in front of her again."

Arizona slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes. "Shut up…. Just shut up." Arizona stood and walked to Callie, baby still in her arms. She stood inches from the Latina, remembering this position from their first kiss. "I have been calling her. I have been calling her to talk about us. And how I want to propose. And where we can go to get married. And where she went on her honeymoon because I have no idea where I want to go on our honeymoon. And we talked about married life and rings and married sex. Yes I have called her Calliope. And I am sorry that makes you crazy. But if you ever bring Sophia into a fight and say the things that you said tonight…. Just don't do it. Ok?" Arizona handed the baby in her arms over to her mother and walked out of the room.

After placing Sophia in her crib, Callie took a few deep breaths before walking to the living room to face Arizona. "I am sorry."

"I don't want to hear it right now."

"Well you are going to. I said I am sorry. But I feel like you should have told me."

"Ok. You are right."

"What?" Callie asked confused, having planned on continuing the argument.

"You are right. I messed up ok?"

"Ok."

"I did not even realize that I had called her so much. It is just every time I had a question I would call or text. And I had a lot. Because I think about it all day. And it scares the shit out of me."

"What scares you?"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore if that's ok. This is not how I had in mind to bring up marriage."

"I feel like such a jerk. I am just scared."

"Of what Calliope? Have I not proven that I am in this? I treat your daughter as if she is my own, I even call her my daughter without thinking when I am talking to people. I left patrol for you. I live next to your old sex buddy, for you. I don't get it. What more do you want?"

"I don't know."

Arizona sighed and rubbed her temples, a sign that Callie always picked up on as frustration.

"It isn't you. It is me. I see that you are here every night and that you love Soph and you have shown that you love me. It is just before in the back of my mind was you being taken from me. And it was hard and it hurt and it was terrifying. But not as much as thinking about you walking away on your own. It has been over a year and I am still not totally secure, which sounds ridiculous. It is just hard for me to accept that someone wants all of this… the stretch marks and the child and the long hours and the father across the hall and…"

"And the play dates, and the dress up, and the smiles, and the laughs, and the long talks over wine, and the love. You know what I see when I look at your body? Because I assure you it isn't stretch marks. I see your beautiful smile and red lips. Beautiful black hair. Your eyes. Your sexy curves and that ass Calliope" Arizona smiled and dropped her eyes to Callie's body, reiterating her attraction… "And when I look at Sophia do you think for one minute I feel anything but overwhelming love and an intensely fierce borderline psychotic overprotection? That girl stole my heart the first time she put her little hands on my face. Callie I will always love Julie. But I am so in love with you. I am in love with us and our life. And nothing… nothing will take me away from that. You have to trust me."

Tears had since filled and fell from Callie's eyes. She stood still, eyes staring at the blonde in front of her. "Ok." Arizona pulled Callie in for a tight hug and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

"So I guess I am the crazy one in this relationship?" Callie asked still hugging her partner.

Arizona smiled, "Just today. Tomorrow I'll be crazy."

Callie laughed and pulled out of the hug. "Thank you." She kissed the blonde sweetly and took her hand, leading her to the bedroom.

"So… my ass huh?" Callie asked, recalling the comment from earlier

"Everytime"

"Good to know"


	27. Chapter 27

The two women sat together on the sofa on a lazy Sunday morning. Before Arizona came along, Callie had always been anxious on her days off, feeling like she should be at the hospital so she doesn't miss out on a big case. These days had turned into some of her favorite now that she could relax in someone's arms and watch Sunday morning cartoons or reruns of ER, which they were trying to get Sophia interested in. Arizona painted Sophia's chubby toes a bright purple color which always looked good on her and Callie's dark skin. Sophia giggled and squirmed as Arizona touched her feet, something else she gets from her mother.

"You know her birthday is coming up" Arizona directed toward Callie.

"Well yea babe, I birthed her, I think that date is in my memory somewhere."

"Smart a….. smart butt." Arizona corrected herself. "Well I was just wondering what the plan was."

"Same as last year I guess. Birthday party here or at the park, whatever she wants. Presents galore. Why, what's up?"

"I was just kinda thinking…." Arizona's voice trailed off.

"Mhm…thinking what?" Callie raised an eyebrow.

"Well, my parents have seen pictures of Sophia and talked to her on the phone and they hear me talking about her all the time but they haven't met her."

"You want them to meet her?"

"Of course I do Calliope. I mean she is my family, they are my family. I want them to know each other."

"Ok… then it is a deal. Will they be able to make it for her birthday?"

"Yep!"

"You already asked them didn't you?"

"Yep!"

Callie laughed. "Ok. It is a deal then. Sophia will meet the parents…. Aaaandd I will too. Wow, funny how that didn't dawn on me before. Meeting the parents."

"You are nervous…" Arizona more stated than asked.

"Nope."

"Then tell your leg, it is about to shake me off of the couch."

"Ok. I am nervous."

"It will be fine. They will love you…. But I do have one other question."

"Ok."

"What about your parents? Don't you think it would be nice to have them all here to meet each other and celebrate with Sophia?"

"Um… well. You know how my parents are. My dad will call her and my mom will send her regards through him and that will be it. They aren't exactly the proudest grandparents. You know that."

"I know babe. I just think… let's give them another chance. If they say no then they say no. But let's try. My parents would love to meet them."

"I don't know…"

"Ok. I'll give you a little while to think about it. But it would mean a lot to me if we tried. I have been with you for going on two years and I still haven't met them. You underestimate my charm. I can win them over" Arizona batted her eyes and gave her best smile.

"Would totally work… if my mom was a lesbian. What's your plan for winning over straight super-Catholic Latinas?"

"I'll brush up on my skills. Do not underestimate me Calliope Torres!"

"Ok babe. I will call them tomorrow."

"Yay!" Arizona shouted, making a silly face at Sophia who laughed at the outburst.

"Yay!" she repeated and clapped her hands.

"You are lucky you are both cute."

"Super cute!" Arizona smiled.

XXXXXXXXX

Arizona was working on a high profile case at her desk, sorting through the several police reports which outlined how the suspect was stalking his former girlfriend. She was lining up a meeting with the victim when her phone rang. Seeing that it was Callie, she opted to call the victim back, "Hey, what's up?"

"They are in."

"I'm gonna need a little more info…"

"My parents. They are in. They will come."

"Yay!" She repeated her excitement from yesterday. "This is good!"

"Ok. I'll ask you if it's still good after they leave."

"It will be fine Callie. I gotta go, we will talk more tonight. Love you."

"Yea, Love you. Bye."

As Arizona hung up the phone she thought about Callie's apprehension and her excitement. She knew Callie's parents weren't the most open-minded or understanding. "But once they see Sophia it will change, right? It has to. No one can say no to those beautiful brown eyes. We can only hope" she thought.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Ok baby, it's not or never" Callie said to her daughter as they saw the flight schedule on the board change to "Arrived". Her parents were only a few feet away. This will be the first time they had ever met Sophia. Callie's heart rate quickened as the seconds passed, knowing that she would be facing them soon. They had not been supportive when Callie told them of Erica. Damning her and the lesbian Diablo to hell were the words that came from her mother before the line was disconnected by their irate daughter. They took the news even worse when Callie called to tell them of her pregnancy, saying that it was a bastard child a demanding that she marry the man who "Did this to her." And to make matters worse, she had not told them about Arizona when she asked that they finally visit her and her child.

"Daddy..." Callie almost whispered as her father made his way to stand in front of her.

"So this is Mija?"

"This is her. Kind of cute huh?"

"She looks just like you at that age."

"Mother…." Callie stated, noticing her standing several feet behind her father.

"Calliope…"

"Ok well let's get going."

All four walked to the exit, Sophia leading the way, hands linked with her mother. Sophia was rarely this quiet, probably sensing the anxiety in her mother. As they entered the car, Callie and her father sat in the front, leaving Sophia and Lucia in the rear. She sang along with the radio for several minutes, bored by the attempted small talk from the adults. "Momma sing this!" Sophia called as she heard one of the many partial songs Arizona would sing to her at night. Callie's heart dropped and she made eye contact with her daughter in the rear view mirror.

"That's right baby, I do."

"You silly Mami, Momma sing this!" Sophia stated innocently. Callie quickly tried to change the subject, finding dinner options suddenly very fascinating. Nearly an hour later, Sophia was sleeping and the three adults were visibly on edge.

Callie ushered her parents into the house, dropping a sleeping Sophia off with Lexie across the hall for the time being. "Life saver," Callie whispered to the woman with terrified eyes.

"Good luck, Cal."

Callie entered her apartment and saw her parents aimlessly looking around her apartment. Her heart sank even further when she saw her father's eyes focus on a picture of Arizona sleeping with Sophia on their sofa. "Shit"

"Mija, is this a friend?" Her father asked innocently.

"You can call her that. Let's sit down, ok?" The three moved to sit in the living room, no one within reaching range of the other. "I want you to know that I am still so, so angry. And I wish more than anything that I could just get over it and see you the same way that I used to, but I just don't right now. I can't." Her father opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off with her signature finger directed toward his face. "Daddy, Mother, I need to talk and I need you to just listen ok? Without screaming, without Spanish rants, without praying, I just need you to listen."

"Ok Mija."

"I am angry. But I don't want my baby girl to be angry. I don't want her to know that anything is wrong. She will know she is different. But I want that to be something she takes pride in."

"Mija, many children have single parents. I doubt that she wi…."

"I am with a woman. I am with Arizona, the one in the picture. I am with her. With a woman." The words left Callie's mouth strong and determined which masked the childlike fear that she felt.

"Calliope, I thought we discussed this" her father barked, eyes set on hers.

"No daddy, you talked, I cried, then I hung up and we never spoke about it again."

"You know how we feel about this. It is an abomin…"

"DO NOT. Do not. This is not bible school and we are not in church. It is what it is… ok? You are not going to change my mind. I did not bring you down here to convince me or to try to convince you. What I am asking is to love me. To love your granddaughter, your only granddaughter. Give her a chance."

"Calliope, your mother and I need a minute" Carlos stated without looking to Lucia.

"Ok. I will give you a minute. I will go get Sophia. And we will be back. Just… give her a chance, ok?" Callie left the apartment and leaned against the outside of her door. This was harder than she had planned for. After gather her daughter from Lexie, she paced for a few minutes in the hallway, fearing what she would encounter when she opened the door.

"So they are here?" a cheery voice called from behind her. Spinning around the face the voice, Callie's eyes grew wide.

"Arizona, you are early."

"I am. My parents will be in in a few hours and I wanted to meet yours before mine came in. What is wrong Callie?"

"It is not going well, yet." Callie told her of the events of the day so far. Arizona pulled her in for a tight hug.

"We are going to walk through that door, and you are going to introduce me, and we are going to be ok. No matter what. They will say yes, or they will say no. And then you know." Callie and Arizona exchanged "I love you's" before walking through the door as a family.


	28. Chapter 28

"Mr. and Mrs. Torres! It is so nice to meet you!" Callie called as she saw the couple on the sofa. She walked up to Carlos and extended her hand. With a glance over his shoulder to the picture on the mantle that he had previously seen, he took her hand with a questioning look to his daughter. She walked to Lucia and extended her hand in the same fashion. Lucia took her hand with the same questioning look to her husband.

"Calliope, is this the friend from the picture?" Her father asked, not as innocently as before.

With one look to Callie to reveal wide eyes and an open mouth, Arizona answered for her, "I am! Now how about we get those bags in the spare room?" She again looked at Callie and saw a look of disappointment and sadness. As the parents picked up their bags and walked down the fall as Arizona instructed, she turned back to the Latina. "They didn't know did they?"

"I am so, so sorry. I…. Arizona I am sorry." Callie lowered her head and began to cry.

"Callie… Callie… it is ok." Arizona pulled Callie in for a hug. "I thought you told them on the phone and they were just coming to talk you out of it. I didn't know you were springing this on them when they were already in our house."

"I will take care of this, ok? I promise." As Callie's parents walked back into the living room, Arizona moved quickly from her girlfriend. She picked up Sophia and tried to find something interesting in the kitchen to leave a determined Callie to break the news. "Ok. I am going to say this one more time. You two are not stupid. The pictures, her presence when you call…. Well you aren't stupid. Arizona is not my friend from the picture. She is my girlfriend. Of three years… well almost three years… she is my girlfriend. And you can accept it or you can refuse. But it will not change. And daddy don't… just don't even open your mouth. Ok? Because I can see the look on your face and it is the same look that you used to give me when you caught me in a lie or I failed a test…So don't." Callie wiped away the one tear that betrayed her and fell from her eye. "She is amazing, ok? She is great. Everything I wanted. And she makes me so so happy. And she is great for your granddaughter. You should see her with her. Actually just look" Callie pointed toward the kitchen to reveal a shocked looking blonde and a sleepy toddler. "She is perfect with her….." Callie let her voice fade as she locked eyes with her girlfriend. Fearing their reaction, she sat blindly on the chair behind her and kept her eyes to the floor. Arizona was at her side in an instant.

"Cal, go ahead and take Sophia for a walk. Take a breath. Go ahead." Callie took Sophia and stood.

"Please be ok with this, ok?" She said, addressing her parents before walking out of the door. Arizona took the same seat that Callie had once occupied.

Carlos was the first to speak, his tone cold and flat. "If you think that you are going to sit here and talk to me about my daughter then you are wasting your time. I have known her for 33 years… you can tell me nothing that I do not already know."

"Ok… fair enough. Look I know that this is hard. These expectations. I mean she was the same person for almost 30 years and she changed the game. Ok… I won't talk about her. Just know that I know. And I get it. I do. But my intentions are good… I am…. You know most people think that I was named for the state but it's not true, I was named for the battleship… the U.S.S. Arizona. My grandfather was serving on the Arizona when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and he saved 19 men before he drowned. Pretty much everything my father did his whole life was about honoring that sacrifice. I was raised to be a good man in a storm. Raised to love my country, love my family, and protect the things that I love." Arizona dropped her eyes to stare at her shaking hands before looking up and meeting two sets of eyes individually. A deep breath gave her the confidence to continue. "When my father, Colonel Daniel Robbins of the United States Marine Corps, heard that I was a lesbian, he said he had only one question. I was prepared for 'how fast can you get the hell out of my house'…. But instead… it was 'are you still who I raised you to be.' My father believes in country the way that you believe in God. And my father is not a man who bends but he bent for me because I am his daughter. I love your daughter. And I protect the things that I love. Not that I need to. She doesn't need it. She is strong and caring and admirable. She is who you raised her to be."

Arizona's rant was met with silence. "Carlos I think we should go" Lucia finally spoke as she stood and looked down at her husband.

"Ok. You can go. But you have to understand that you are hurting only yourselves. By doing this, you are not punishing anyone, you are not convincing anyone, you are not even making anyone see your point of view. We already see it. And if Calliope did not love you as much as she does then she would have continued the lie and never allowed you completely into her life. But she does. She loves you. And I love you because she loves you and because you raised a beautiful, talented, miraculous woman. And Sophia will love you because that little girl loves everyone. But if you do not give her…give US a chance, well it is your loss. And you need to think long and hard about that. Are your beliefs worth losing your family? If they are then walk out of that door. But if there is any chance that you love your daughter more than your beliefs, then you are making a mistake by leaving. We will be fine. You have to ask yourself the same thing. Hold that child and ask yourself if you are ok with it being the last time."

"Arizona, I do not appreciate you talking about our daughter as if you know what is best for her" Carlos' voice boomed.

"You are right. I may not know what is best. But I do know some things. Things like the fact that she likes her coffee with cream, no sugar. And she has to have at least one cup before she leaves the house or her day is shot. I know that she likes the left side of the bed because it is closer to the door and she feels that she can hear Sophia better. I know that she after a particularly hard surgery her favorite way to relax is with a glass of Cabernet and pizza. I know that when she is sad she stutters. And when she is happy her eyes smile before her mouth does. I know that she was 13 when she had her heart broken for the first time. And I know that that will not happen again. I know what songs Sophia likes to fall asleep to and that she likes to drink grape juice with Callie in the morning and pretend that it is coffee. I know that she wears a size 6 shoe and that she is in the 85th percentile in height for her age, she will be tall like her mother. I know the way her face looks when she is happy and when she is sad. I know when she is having dreams because she smiles and frowns, also like her mother. I know that she will be so smart. And I know that if you walk away from her then you are making the biggest mistake of your life. I also know that your daughter is the most amazing and loving person that I have ever met. Did you know that I met her when she was in a car accident and was trapped inside the car bleeding? I held pressure to her leg and talked to her until the ambulance took her. I could have left her. I could have wrapped her leg and tended to the others. But I stayed with her. Did you know that she helped me save a baby's life? The first day we met. So I know a lot. Maybe not the color that she wore to prom, maybe not the name of her kindergarten teacher, I will leave those memories to be yours. But what I know is what makes her happy. I know how to make her feel safe. I know that I will stop at nothing to protect your daughter and your granddaughter. Even if that means protecting them from you. I know how to love her. And I will."

Arizona waited for harsh words and insults. She waited for the couple to walk out. She was prepared for both. What she was not prepared for was the silence.

"I asked Callie to invite you two here. I wanted to meet you. I wanted to do things the right way…. And I guess that is ruined. You are not supposed to have screamed at your in-laws the first time you meet them." Arizona smiled but it was not returned. "Um… but anyway … Mr. and Mrs. Torres, I wanted you two to come so that I could ask to marry your daughter, to be a part of your family. And I want you to know that it will happen. With your approval or without it. But your approval will mean a lot."

"Carlos, we are leaving." Lucia stated as she stood.

"You love her" Carlos stated matter of factly.

"I do"

"Carlos!" Lucia tried to interrupt the interaction

"And she loves you." Carlos asked, eyes on Arizona.

"Luckily, she does." Arizona smiled.

"Carlos I do not understand these games you are playing. We are leaving." Lucia called

"And Sophia cares for you."

"She does."

"Carlos, I will call a cab from outside." Lucia walked to the bedroom to gather her bags.

"Arizona, I appreciate what you have done. I know that Calliope is in good hands. But we really have to get back home. I am sorry."

"You had planned to stay the weekend."

"I am sorry Arizona. I hope that you understand."

"I don't. "

"CARLOS! Gather your bags"

As Lucia flung the door open, a startled Callie stood against the far wall. Lucia stopped in front of her before dropping her gaze and rushing past her. Carlos gathered his bag from the room. Before he walked out of the door he turned to a stunned Arizona. "You take care of her. She is beautiful in white. I will talk to Lucia. But now is not the time. Thank you, Arizona." Arizona looked wide eyed at her girlfriend, fearing the pain that she feels watching her parents leave. Just as she was about to protest Carlos' words he stopped in front of his daughter. Giving Sophia a kiss and pulling Callie in for a tight hug, he whispered something in her ear and was gone. Callie walked back into the apartment, set Sophia down, and looked at the blonde, not saying a word.

"What did he say to you? When he whispered… what did he say?"

Callie stared in Arizona's direction but did not lock eyes like normal. "He said he loves me. And he told me to say yes."


	29. Chapter 29

Callie sat one the chair and Arizona knelt before her, rubbing her legs in comfort. "Calliope, I am sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have been so confrontational."

"No, they needed to hear it, whatever it was that you said. I trust you. I just don't want to talk about it right now. I think Sophia and I are going to lie down before your parents get here if that is ok."

Arizona studied her face, seeing sadness and shame. "I will come get you before they get here, ok?"

"Thank you" Callie stood and gave Arizona a chaste kiss on the cheek before escorting her daughter to the bedroom. Arizona sat silently for several minutes thinking about the whirlwind of events that took place just minutes ago. She shook her head violently before standing up and storming to the kitchen, cleaning already spotless counter tops. She reorganized Sophia's toys in the living room and was contemplating moving furniture to occupy her time when her cell phone rang. "Mom, hey, where are you two?" Content with their answer she participated in a few more pleasantries before hanging up and heading to the bedroom. The sight before her, while nothing unusual, made her stop in her tracks. Callie was sitting against the backboard with her knees raised, providing support to Sophia's back who was straddling her mother's stomach. Sophia's head was against her mother's knees and Callie's head was slumped slightly to the side, both sleeping. Arizona listened to the soft snores from both girls before walking to the bed. Softly lifting Sophia from Callie's belly caused Callie to stir and turn over on her side. Arizona brought Sophia to her bedroom and rubbed her back as she laid her down to put her back to sleep. She did the same with Callie to wake her. "Sweetie, they are going to be her soon."

"I'm up. I'm up." Callie mumbled.

"Not really babe, as soon as I leave you are gonna be snoring again. Come on."

"I don't want to get up. I don't want to do it again."

"Sweetie, I promise this won't be like with your parents. Just trust me, ok?"

"Wine."

Arizona smiled "Ok I will get your wine but you have to drink it in the kitchen. Deal?"

"K."

Both women met in the kitchen and sat in a comfortable silence, their eyes focused on the television in the living room but neither really knowing what they were watching. The quick knock on the door brought both out of their thoughts. Before Arizona could reach the door, however, it opened and two blue eyes peered from the hallway. "Mom!" Arizona called as the older blonde smiled widely and entered the house, followed by a stern looking grey haired man. "Dad!" Arizona hugged her mom tightly before moving to hug her father. He wrapped his daughter in a hug, picking her up and spinning her once before setting her down.

"Zona, you look so good! I can't believe it has been this long!" her father crooned, lovingly. "Is this the one we have heard all about?" He asked looking to Callie.

"That is her! Callie, my parents, mom and dad, Callie" Arizona introduced them. Callie gave her best smile and walked to the family. Before Callie could extend her hand to shake Daniel's he had her in his arms and spinning her just like he had done his daughter. He gave her a kiss to the cheek and stepped to the side so his wife could meet her.

"You are just like I pictured!" Ms. Robbins exclaimed. She pulled her in for a tight hug and took her face in her hands. "So beautiful! Ok, where is this baby we have heard so much about?"

Arizona fielded the questions, "She is sleeping, mom, but she will be up soon. Let's sit down, would you like anything to drink? Do you have bags that we need to get?"

"Oh no, dear. We will do that later. How long until she wakes up?" Arizona's mother questioned.

Arizona laughed. "Not long mom, come sit down."

The couple conceded and took a seat on the couch, Callie sat in the chair and Arizona placed herself on the arm of the chair close to her. The older couple complimented the girls on their apartment and asked questions about Callie's job. They asked about Arizona's new position and they spoke freely about their relationship, something that Callie was not accustomed to, but she could not help but feel comfortable around the fair skinned blue eyes family. They had shown her nothing but love since they walked in. She had fallen into a comfortable silence just listening to the conversation between the couple and their daughter when she saw her groggy toddler appear in the doorway. Unsure at first of the visitors, the wiped her eyes and waited for her mother to come to her side.

"Well hello sleepy head, come see." Callie directed at her daughter. Sophia padded into the room and went straight to the chair. She climbed into Callie's lap and hid her face in Arizona's arm. Arizona pulled her into her lap and turned her to face her parents.

Her mother was the first to speak. "Oh my goodness, hello sweetheart! Look how beautiful you are! You look just like your mother!" Ms. Robbins moved from the sofa to kneel in front of the child. "Are you still sleepy?" Sophia shook her head and placed both hands near her mouth, a sure sign that she was nervous. "Aw, well I think I have something that will make you feel better. Want to come outside with me? I have a surprise for you!" Sophia smiled and looked at her mother.

"It's ok sweetheart, go ahead."

Ms. Robbins held her arms out to pick Sophia up and she raised her arms in response. The woman took the child into her arms and hugged her tightly. Sophia pulled back to look at the woman in her face with a large smile. She gave a glance to Arizona as if to try to place their resemblance and the two were quickly out of the door.

"She gets a little crazy with children," Daniel said with an apologetic look.

Callie smiled, "No, she is… perfect."

The two entered the room a short time later, Sophia trotting behind the older woman with a baby doll clad in a set of scrubs with a matching larger set folded under her other arm. Callie laughed at the gift.

"Arizona told us that she is enamored with everything medical and we saw this little set at a gift shop a few months ago. I hope it fits."

Callie dropped her head, trying to hide tears in her eyes. Arizona noticed and placed a comforting hand on her leg. Callie removed her hand which elicited a worried look from her partner. She gave her a weary smile before standing and walking to Arizona's mother. She smiled widely at her, letting her tears fall, and wrapped her in a tight hug. Ms. Robbins gave her daughter a questioning look but was met with a small smile and a nod of Arizona's head. Her mother then wrapped her arms tightly around Callie's back and closed her eyes.

"You have a beautiful family, Calliope" Ms. Robbins whispered. "Very beautiful."

Callie held the hug for a few moments longer before responding, "I do."


	30. Chapter 30

"Ok, Soph, Mom, we are going to start on dinner so that leaves Dad and you, Cal, to start on the decorations for tomorrow." Arizona grabbed Sophia's hand, leading her to the kitchen, her mother in tow. As soon as Barbara reached Sophia she hoisted her up and planted Sophia's feet firmly on the counter next to the sink. "Mom, that is way too high, she is not standing up there!" Arizona said grabbing at the toddler. This caused Sophia to giggle at the attention.

"Oh Arizona, this was your favorite place to stand at this age when I was cooking. You could see everything and help me wash the vegetables. She will be fine. I will be right by her."

"Mom…"

"Cutie, tell Ms. Arizona you will be ok!" Barbara directed toward the child.

"Momma, I be ok!" Sophia mocked anger.

Arizona's mother smiled widely, showing Arizona the dimples that they shared and Arizona went about her cooking, never straying far from the child even with her mother's

protective eye close by.

Callie was standing on her toes trying to tape streamers to the top of the doorway. Daniel smiled and took the tape from her hands, taping the decoration with ease. "Thank you."

"Callie you seem like something is bothering you. Would you like to talk about it?" Daniel asked, noticing Callie's quietness since their arrival.

"Um, I am ok. Thank you though."

"You lie as well as my daughter does. What's going on?" Callie twisted the streamers in her hand, avoiding eye contact.

"This is just kind of weird. I guess. The presents, the talking, the… family. I just keep waiting for the other shoe to fall."

"What do you mean, dear?"

Callie took a seat on the chair, discarding the streamers on the table. "My parents aren't exactly supportive. They have a lot of problems with the choices that I have made and with Arizona and with Sophia. They were here earlier and chose to leave. I just keep waiting to screw it up with you and Mrs. Robbins and with Arizona."

Daniel smile and sat on the edge of the table in front of Callie. Leaning his elbows on his knees he locked his blue eyes with Callie's. "I am not someone who is big on comforting; it has never been my strong suit. Barbara and Arizona are much more equipped for things such as this…. Callie, I do not know your mother and father so I will not pass judgment. But I think that it is important for you to know that Arizona does not often allow us to meet her partners. In fact, you are only the second. She loves you. And to hear her talk about your daughter, well you would think that it is her own. And I do not blindly trust but the opinion of my daughter is something that I trust completely. I have taught her to think before she acts. To ensure that her actions are appropriate because she will have to live with the consequences. And since she was 4 years old she has done so, flawlessly. When she puts her heart into something, that is it. It is her life. The first time that I saw that fire in her eyes was at her police graduation. I was worried at first about her decision. I thought that she was entering it on a vengeance and for the wrong reasons, and I was afraid that she would get hurt. But when I saw that…. That fire… that determination….the burning in her eyes, I knew. I knew that there was nothing that I or anyone else could say to change her mind, and I did not want to even try. Anything that made my daughter that happy and that driven was worth my approval. And when she called to say that she was leaving, I was angry. I was afraid that she was making a mistake and would regret it. But I spoke to Barbara and she asked me if I had ever known my daughter to make a decision without putting her entire heart and soul into it. And I didn't even have to think before answering. I have not. You are her decision. She is happy. And when she is happy, we are happy. If your parents are not supportive, then we will be twice as supportive to make up for it. Just give her a chance. Don't push her away. Because she is not the type of person who walks away. And she loves you. So just let her."

Callie cried again freely as she looked into Daniel's blue eyes, the same eyes that she saw when she looked into Arizona's. She let her face show the awe that she felt at the unwarranted love and care that Arizona and her family showed her. She smiled through the tears and stood up to capture Daniel in a tight hug. He rubbed her back and allowed her to cry on his shoulder. He caught the eye of his daughter who had begun watching several seconds ago when she realized that she had not heard Callie moving about. She crossed the floor to her father who transferred a crying Callie to her arms. She took her father's place and hugged her partner while she cried.

"Are you ok sweetie?" Arizona asked.

"Yea" was the short response.

"I love you, ok?"

"I know Arizona. I love you too."

After several minutes the women went back to their tasks, Barbara entranced with Sophia while cooking and Daniel clumsily applying delicate pink decorations to walls and doorframes. Callie continued to watch the interactions between the Robbins', watching how her daughter took to the women as if they had been with her for her entire life, watching Daniel comfortably speaking about his daughter and her relationships, watching Arizona completely in her element with family and love. She realized that she was a fool to feel anything but lucky with the events of the day. Even if her parents were not around to see it, it was their loss. She was none the worse for it. Her thoughts flashed to the proposal that never happened from Arizona and, in place of the slight resentment and anxiety she felt awaiting it, for the first time she felt silly for waiting for the move instead of initiating it herself. There was no reason that she could not be the one to ask. Arizona deserved that, she was a woman as well. Callie smiled as she thought about a romantic dinner and dropping to one knee in front of the woman she loves. She thought about the smile that she hoped would engulf her partner's face at the surprise of the question. She deserved that. Arizona had done so much to ensure that Callie and Sophia were happy and safe and secure, this was the least that she could do. Seeing a break in the conversation, Callie made her first move.

"Colonel, can I see you in the hall for a second? I want to put some decorations on the outside."

"Sure" He responded, walking her direction.

Callie began walking to the door and quickly grabbed her discarded streamers to make her lie more believable. The two entered the hallway. Callie took a few deep breaths, causing Daniel to draw his eye brows together and look at her questioningly. Callie knew that if she did not speak soon that she would lose her resolve.

"I want to marry her. Your daughter. I would like to ask to marry her." Callie realized how quickly her words had come out so she took a few more breaths and tried to steady her shaking hands. "I love her. She is perfect. Even when she isn't perfect, she is perfect. She makes me laugh. Makes me cry for the right reasons. My daughter calls her 'Momma'. I just love her. And I want to ask you if I can ask her to marry me."

Daniel maintained his glare, "Have you two talked about marriage?"

"Um, we have."

"Marriage is hard Callie. It is not something that you should enter into after only 3 years. It is hard after 30 years. You need to think about this."

"I have, sir. I have actually thought about it a lot since I met her. And I know it is hard. Our relationship has had its challenges and… well it is worth it. She is worth it. Worth more than that actually. I want to give that to her. A white dress and pictures and family and friends. She deserves at least that for everything she has done. And I want to be the one with her when she does make that commitment. If you will allow it. She respects you and Mrs. Robbins so much. It would mean so much for her to know that you approve."

Daniel stared at Callie, though he felt that he knew of her character and trusted his daughter's decision, he was still weary of the decision. As he saw the fear in Callie's eyes, he knew that it was a good sign. She was not taking this lightly. The corners of his mouth curled into a smile. "Take care of her, ok?"

Callie smiled widely, mirroring Daniel's growing smile. "So is that a yes?"

"Of course it is a yes Callie. Congratulations."

Callie nearly jumped into Daniel's arms and a loud laugh escaped her lips. "Thank you, sir. I promise you won't regret it. Thank you."


	31. Chapter 31

"Arizona, I got a page to run to the hospital for a consult real quick. It won't take long, I promise. I should be back before dinner. Soph, baby, be good for Momma. Mr. and Mrs. Robbins, I am sorry. I will be back shortly. When work calls you gotta go." Callie smiled, gathering her keys and cell phone. She gave Arizona a quick kiss and said another goodbye, receiving a wink from Daniel on her way out of the door. She rushed to the jewelry store a few streets over, praying that it was still open. "Six O'clock on a Saturday, it's a long shot. Ah, the mall has a jewelry store, they will be open." Callie adjusted her route to head toward the mall. She knew that rushing to buy an engagement ring might not be the wisest choice but she knew exactly what Arizona liked, and there was no reason to wait another minute to ask the woman that she loved to be her wife. Rushing into the mall she walked into the jewelry store and was immediately greeted by an overly pleasant white haired woman in a dress suit. She told her exactly what she was looking for and was presented with four selections. The purchasing process took what seemed like hours and she bit her finger nails as the minutes passed. Finally having the little black velvet box in her hand, she rushed to her car. Sitting in the driver's seat she allowed herself to breathe and think about the decision she would soon be making. She silently rehearsed a few approaches to the question, each one sounding cheesy and cliché. She was deep in thought, trying to find the perfect words when her cell phone rang.

"Arizona, what's wrong?"

"Where are you?"

"I uh, I am leaving the hospital. What is wrong?"

"Nothing. You were just acting weird earlier. I wanted to make sure everything was ok."

"Oh. Ok. No, I was just feeling kind of bad about my parents. But I am ok. I am heading home ok?"

"Be careful. Dinner is ready."

"Ok, on my way" Callie hung up the phone. "I am so not prepared. Shit. All my ideas sound stupid. I am going to sound like an idiot." Callie tried to calm her nerves. "Ok. It is fine. I mean it is Arizona. The words don't matter. At least I hope so."

Callie arrived back home. After deciding that tomorrow would be the day, while all of their family and friends were present for Sophia's birthday party, she tried to act as normal as possible, even though her mind was reeling. She did well enough for Arizona to not question her any more throughout the night which was a relief. She was not the best liar and was an even worse liar to Arizona whose blue eyes always elicited the very best from the Latina. Dinner was finished and cleaned and the five lounged lazily around the living room, talking about Sophia's enrollment in preschool, memories of the blonde as a child, and excitement surrounding the next day's birthday party. Arizona yawned widely, resting her head on Callie's which rested on her shoulder. "You two get to sleep" Barbara told the couple.

"Sophia is too wound up about tomorrow" Arizona laughed. "She has no problem un-tucking herself and coming out here to watch tv or sneak a snack"

"Well we raised two children, I think we can maintain her safety until she falls asleep" Barbara countered.

"Hm. I am tired, babe" Arizona directed to Callie.

"Me too. But she can be a handful."

"Oh I will not hear another word!" Barbara interrupted. "She already has Daniel wrapped around her finger. You get to bed. You both work too hard to not get a break every now and then. We will see you in the morning. Sophia, baby, tell Mami and Momma goodnight."

"Night!" She called, never looking away from her tea party with the Colonel.

"Well alright then…" Callie smiled. A round of kisses were given and the women were off to bed. After a quick shower and a brush through her hair, Callie joined Arizona in bed. She was disappointed to see that Arizona's eyes were closed and her breath was deep and slow. Laying on her right side and propping her head on her right hand, she looked at the woman who would hopefully become her wife. Her eyes wandered from her blonde hair to her beautiful sleeping eyes. Her soft alabaster skin was warm underneath Callie's fingers. She traced her thumb across the sleeping woman's cheek bone, caressing the skin she found there. She softly ran her thumb across Arizona's bottom lip. Smiling at the beautiful woman before her, she leaned down and kissed her motionless lips. She placed several more kisses on her cheeks and forehead. Arizona was slowly brought out of her slumber by the feel of Callie's mouth on her. When Callie leaned in one last time, Arizona snaked her hand around her partner's neck and pulled her in for a passionate kiss.

"I love you." Arizona whispered, eyes still cloudy with sleep. She didn't hear a response from the woman above her so she pulled her eyebrows together and tried to focus. "Hey."

"Sshh. I love you too. I was just preoccupied" Callie whispered.

"With what?"

"With how much I want you right now." She felt Arizona smiled under her mouth which had crashed into hers almost before she finished her sentence. Callie let her mouth explore Arizona's slowly, taking her bottom lip and biting it harder than anticipated. Arizona let out a small moan which served to bring Callie's body completely on top of hers. Arizona thrust her hips upward to meet Callie's, something that had always been a sign of her desire. She was met with soft bites and wet kisses to her neck. "You have to keep it down, though. No screaming my name this time" Callie moaned into Arizona's ear with a cocky smile on her face.

"Oh, you don't think I can contain myself?" Arizona asked between bites to Callie's neck.

"I don't know. You know what these hands to do you" Callie breathed.

"Mhm. Then how about you just do it and stop talking so much?"

"But you like when I talk."

"But I also like when there is touching with the talking."

Callie laughed. "Deal." All of her fears about what would happen tomorrow were discarded with their clothes. "I love you, ok? A lot. Everything about you."

Arizona moaned her words through jagged, increasing breaths, "I love you too, Calliope."

XXXXXXXXX

The party was going well. Sophia was being polite and enjoying the presents and attention. Callie and Arizona were gracious hosts, keeping drinks filled and conversation going. The Robbins' were mingling well with their daughter's friends. There was only one brief run-in between the Colonel and Mark.

"You would be best-suited to act like a gentleman, young man," the Colonel's voice rang out through the party, causing Arizona to jump and Callie to laugh. The men had since shaken hands and buried the hatchet. Cake and ice cream were on the table and ready to be served. As everyone migrated toward the kitchen, Callie flicked the lights off and on while calling for their attention. Arizona dried her hands and threw the towel onto the counter, coming around the island to see whatever Callie had in store.

"Guys, guys. If you can give me one second… there is something that I want to say. Arizona, sweetie, can you come here?" Callie extended her hand, looking toward her partner. Daniel smiled and pulled his wife in close to his side.

"What is going on Daniel?" Barbara asked.

"You will see, dear."

"Arizona. I have thought so much about the right words to say and the best way to do this, but I am at a loss, honestly." Arizona gave a quick weary look to her friends and felt her heart rate quicken. "Arizona you are the most amazing woman I have ever known. You accepted me and my daughter without a single question. You have shown us nothing but love from the first time that I laid eyes on you. You have saved me in more ways than once. You keep me honest. You keep me focused. I am lucky to share my time with you and my daughter is better for having known you. I love you, so so much." Callie pulled the black velvet box out of her jacket pocket and opened the top, revealing a quaint diamond ring. She lowered herself to her knee, keeping her eyes locked on Arizona's shocked face. "I wanted to ask you this over some romantic dinner or by candle light on a vacation. But we met under unusual circumstances, circumstances that made me realize the importance of family and friends. And I want them all to know how much I love you. Arizona, sweetie, will you marry me?"

Arizona's shaking hands covered her mouth as she dropped down to her knees to meet Callie. Tears filled her eyes and she tried to form words but nothing came. She nodded her head quickly before gathering Callie roughly into her arms. Both women were so engrossed with each other and that moment that they did not hear the eruption of applause and whistles from the crowd in their apartment. Callie smiled broadly and held Arizona tightly. When they parted both of their eyes found the ring that was clumsily placed on Arizona's finger. Their eyes locked and Callie placed a soft kiss on Arizona's lips. Each helped the other stand to face the barrage of hugs and cheers from their friends and family. Daniel and Barbara made their way through the crowd, Sophia on Daniel's hip.

"I couldn't have done it better myself" Daniel's voice had softened. Sophia reached out and was taken by the two women who covered her with kisses. Barbara pulled her daughter in for a tight hug. As she released the blonde, Barbara moved to stand in front of the Latina. She placed both hands on her face and smiled widely at the woman, showing her child-like dimples.

"Congratulations dear. You snagged a good one."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Callie sandwiched her daughter between her and her partner as she pulled her in for another tight hug. "What do you say, sweetheart. You want me and Momma to get married?"

"You make Momma cry" Sophia scolded her mother.

Arizona laughed and turned her daughter to face her, "They are good tears sweetheart. I promise."


	32. Chapter 32

Several weeks had passed since the engagement took place. Barbara and Daniel had reluctantly gone back to their home but Barbara made frequent calls to her daughter and future daughter-in-law to check on them. She was notorious for calling Arizona and asking for Sophia without even saying "hello." Callie loved the family that she gained and was unable to put into words what their support and unquestionable love meant to her. Arizona knew that their support meant a lot to Callie but they chose to not talk about it much, fearing that it would bring up negative feelings about Callie's parents. Nonetheless, the couple was reveling in their new status and Arizona was often caught staring at the ring that adorned her finger and smiling. Julie and Jess had since visited for dinner a few times and their displays of affection, accompanied with the same from Callie and Arizona, served to put Callie and Jess at ease. Arizona watched from the sofa on a lazy weekend morning as her fiancé traipsed around the apartment.

"Tell Mami bye bye sweetie," Arizona said as she waved Sophia's hand at Callie who was gathering her things to go to work. "She has a big surgery today. Can you say 'Kick ass?" she asked the groggy tot.

"Arizona Robbins!" Callie called, overhearing her choice of words. "My daughter will not speak like a cop!"

Arizona laughed. "She is half asleep, babe."

"Still!"

"Ok, ok, can you tell Mami to kick booty?"

Sophia, who was now looking up at Arizona, was too smart for her own good. "Kick Ask" she said, adding a 'K' to the end of her new word.

"What? Sophia Sloane Torres… no ma'am!" Callie called, glaring at Arizona. Arizona let out a loud laugh and hugged the girl. "Great, I can see it now, principal calling from her kindergarten, 'Yes Ms. Torres, your daughter has cursed at the teacher and threatened to take her downtown if she does not give her another juice box.' You will be going to that parent teacher conference! Not me!"

Arizona conceded, "Alright Soph. Your Mami does not like that word." Arizona dropped her voice to a whisper, "Even if she does say it all the time when you aren't around. You know what other words she says?"

"Alright Sophia, you are going to your daddy's." Callie toyed.

"Ok Ok Ok. I'm done!" Arizona laughed.

Callie bent down to kiss the blonde and the brunette in her arms. "Be good you two. And no more dirty words! God, it is bad enough that she has 'skirt chasing' embedded in her genes, she will not have a dirty mouth to go along with it." This elicited another laugh from Arizona and Sophia followed suit. "Oh you think that is funny, huh?" Callie wrinkled her nose at her daughter.

"Alright, get going. Go sharpen your scalpel. Good luck today. We love you."

"Love you, too. Take care of your Momma Sophia. See you tonight." Callie began walking toward the door. "Hey, how about dinner tonight? I was thinking that little Italian place that we went when we first started seeing each other. What ya think?"

"Ok. We will see. I will message you later." Arizona smiled with her back to the Latina.

Two more "I love you's" were exchanged and Callie left the apartment. Arizona turned her attention to the toddler. "That sounds like fishing to me… what do you say? Should I put her out of her misery?" Sophia yawned widely. "So helpful, munchkin. Thanks."

XXXXXXXXX

Callie was scrubbing out of her surgery and talking with Teddy, preparing to go tell the mother of the child she was working on that he had done well.

"Any word yet on setting a date?" Teddy asked

"Ugh, no. She is in no rush" Callie grumbled. "I am going crazy over it. I mean I know these things are supposed to take a while but I feel like the longer we wait the longer she has to change her mind. It is making me crazy!"

"Callie Torres. She loves you. And she has been gay a while, she knows that crazy comes with the territory."

Callie chuckled, "Thanks Teddy, always one to make me feel better."

"That's my job!"

Callie felt her pager vibrate on her hip. Quickly drying her hands she checked it. "Shit, 911. At the nurses station? What the hell."

"That's weird. Go ahead, I will go give the mother the news." Callie stuck out her bottom lip. "Oh pick that thing up, I will give you all the credit… Go."

Callie laughed, "Tell her that I need to see him back here next week. You are a lifesaver, thanks!"

Callie made her way to the nurse's station to find a surgical nurse talking to a child. "Is that Sophia?" Callie asked out loud as she got closer. "Sophia…. What is she doing here?" She questioned the nurse, spotting

"I don't know she just wandered up here."

"What the hell do you mean she wandered up here… give her to me. Sophia where is Arizona?" She asked taking the child. As she turned Sophia to face her she noticed a note card pinned to the front of her shirt. It read "Meet Momma in the on-call room. And leave me with the nice nurse." Though logically Callie knew that if Arizona took the time to make a sign for Sophia that nothing could be wrong she still was taken aback by the act. She handed her daughter to the nurse who gladly accepted and took off to the on call room. Callie met Mark three doors down from her destination and he opened his mouth to speak but was silenced with a finger to his face as Callie walked past him.

Callie took a deep breath and placed a shaking hand on the door knob. As she pushed through the door, her breath caught in her throat. Lit candles lined each window sill and each table in the room. Rose petals were strewn across the floor, across the beds, and across the tables. Soft Spanish music played from a stereo that was placed on the bed. A centerpiece of three candles and a pile of rose petals adorned the table. Callie looked around for the one responsible for this but did not see her. She made her way to the table, seeing that only two of the three candles were lit. In front of the unlit candle was a note card. "You follow directions well." Callie smiled to herself but her the smile turned to awe when she saw the most beautiful diamond ring atop the unlit candle. She put one hand over her mouth as the other reached to take the ring. Just as she was about to take it between her fingers, the door opened revealing her partner clad in a simple blue dress with her hair in curls. She seemed to sashay into the room, closing the door behind her. Callie stood in awe at the woman, her fingers still inches from the ring in front of her. As Arizona made her way to her partner, she pulled her face down for a deep kiss. As they slowly pulled away, Arizona smiled at Callie's still closed eyes. She spoke first, in almost a whisper. "I know that this is somewhat redundant. But…" Arizona pulled herself up onto the table, crossing her legs in a seductively slow motion. Callie's eyes dropped to the exposed legs in front of her. "But you deserve this memory. You deserve for someone to ask for your hand with a shaky voice and wobbly knees, which by the way is why I am on this table. You deserve to be treated like the amazing, sexy, beautiful woman that you are." Callie watched the woman in front of her with wide eyes, her hands resting on Arizona's legs. The blonde turned to look behind her, taking the ring in her right hand. She took hold of the dark haired woman's left hand and found her eyes. "Calliope, I love you so much. I find you incredible… amazing. Things will not always be perfect with us but I promise to try. I promise to love you and to love your daughter and always make you feel wanted and needed. You make me so happy, something that I thought I might never allow myself to find. Callie, will you be my wife?"

Calliope tried to put a voice to her words but was unable. She simply nodded her head and wiped away her tears with her right hand as Arizona's shaking hands placed the beautiful ring on her left. Their lips met in a fury of emotion and love. Arizona broke the kiss and looked to the window, hoping to see the surgical nurse and Sophia standing there as she had instructed them to do. When she saw them she quickly motioned for Sophia to come in. The little girl opened the door and ran to the women. Callie picked her up and kissed her cheek. "So you were in on this the whole time, squirt?"

"Yes ma'am" the little girl smiled.

"Well good. I wouldn't want it any other way."

Arizona took both girls in her arms as she slid off of the table. "I love you girls."

"Love you too, Momma" Sophia quickly replied.

Callie smiled. "We love you, too."


	33. Chapter 33

The date was set and the park was booked. Both women agreed on an outdoor wedding with their closest friends and family. The guest list was slated for about 50 people but with Arizona never meeting anything but a friend and with Callie's extensive co-worker list, the numbers were up to about 200. Among the invitees were Julie and Jess, both sets of parents, Mark and Lexie and the rest of the hospital gang, Lt. Hale and the entire shift that Arizona previously served on, and Arizona's current co-workers. Of course cousins on both sides and aunts and uncles would be invited as well. Arizona and Callie each chose their dresses of choice but gave neither any hints as to the design. Each only knew of the color and had coordinated their wedding party's colors accordingly. On Callie's side would stand Mark clad in a black tuxedo with a deep red vest and matching tie. Also on Callie's side would stand Christina, Lexie and Addison all dressed in dark slate grey almost black knee length gowns with matching deep red sashes around their waists. On Arizona's side would stand Lt. Michael Hale and Arizona's long term partner, Terry, both dressed in Tuxedo's and vests matching Mark's. Also beside Arizona would be Lucy and Arizona's best friend from the police academy. Both women would be dressed in dark red knee length dresses with slate grey sashes, complimenting Callie's choice of the colors in opposite.

The stress of planning the wedding had taken its toll on the women. With every spare minute filled with flower choices and music selections, small fights had become more frequent.

"Calliope…. Calm down. This is insane!"

"No, Arizona. I told you that I wanted this to be simple and small and you are making it into this huge fucking production! I don't want that! I told you that how many times?"

"Well excuse me for wanting my friends to be at my fucking wedding, Calliope. I planned on making it my only one, just because this isn't your first go 'round doesn't mean it shouldn't be special for me!" The words left Arizona's lips before she could censor herself. Dropping her head and closing her eyes, she silently berated herself for bringing up Callie's painful past. When she heard Callie's voice it was almost a whisper.

"Nice, Arizona. Real nice." Callie moved from their standing position to take a seat on the couch. Arizona followed after several seconds, kneeling before her.

"Callie… I didn't mean to say that. I'm sorry. I just feel so….so attacked lately. What the hell is going on? Your list alone is more than we agreed for the whole wedding and I don't have that many more than you. You have been on edge… this is not about the number of people watching us get married, this is something else, and you need to tell me."

"No, don't pull your cop investigation shit. We agreed and you…."

"Calliope Torres, that is shit and you know it so just tell me. What is this, cold feet? Your parents? Change of heart? Because you need to tell me now and not in front of all those people." Arizona spoke in her sternest voice, tightening her stomach and pulling her shoulders back the way that she always did when she was prepared for a fight on the streets. Her demeanor showed confidence and strength, but her heart was breaking as the meaning of her words reeled in her mind. Callie noticed her defensiveness and to anyone else she would appear composed and intimidating, anyone else but Callie would have missed her chin quivering and Arizona nervously biting her bottom lip. Seeing her vulnerability broke her heart. Callie dropped her head and studied her fingers, spinning the ring on her left hand.

"You are right. I haven't been completely honest with you."

"Well now is the time, Calliope"

"Erica is back. At the hospital, she is back."

"And you didn't tell me, why?"

"I don't know. We were already on edge. You were busy. You are always with Sophia when you are home and we did not have time to talk."

"Oh you are blaming this on the fact that I spend time with your daughter?" Arizona's voice was louder than she intended, a product of her nervousness as where the conversation was heading.

"No. Damnit, just listen" Callie shook her head. "I didn't want to make things worse. You have been stressed with your cases and the wedding and with Sophia being clingy because of her starting preschool soon, it has just been stressful and I.. I just took the easy way out."

"So have you talked to her?" Arizona questioned.

"Yes."

"Did you tell her about us?"

"No. She knows though."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Arizona's voice had dropped to almost a whisper, fearing Callie's reasoning.

"I don't know."

**2 DAYS EARLIER**

"Hey Cal, how are you doing?" Christina approached Callie in the cafeteria.

"Um, I'm fine… Why?"

"Just wondering how you were holding up."

"What are you talking about?" Callie asked, getting irritated at the questioning.

"You haven't heard?"

"Christina, spit it out, what?"

"Hahn, she is back in Cardio. Started yesterday. You haven't seen her?"

Callie stopped listening to Christina and stared blankly through the woman in front of her. She was back. As soon as everything was going well, she was back. It didn't matter, right? Arizona would be ok with it. It was work. I mean she had already been introduced to Arizona's ex whom she still cares for. And it isn't like she still had any feelings for Erica anymore, right? Callie shook the thoughts from her head and tuned back in to Christina's rants.

"I mean she walks around her like she is on a rampage and like she owns the place. And I told her that you were engaged and she had the cockiest smirk on her face. I should have slapped it off of her. Cal, you ok?"

"Yea." Callie gathered her composure for a second. "I am going to head back to the floor. Thanks Christina."

As she left the cafeteria she heard Christina holler 'good luck' as she walked away. "What the hell do I need luck for?" She thought to herself. Callie felt her emotions change from nervousness to the hurt that she still feels from when Erica walked out. The hurt was a fleeting emotion which quickly gave way to anger, anger about what Erica had done to her, anger about her coming back when things were finally good in her life, anger for not giving her the decency to tell her before just waltzing back into the hospital. Her anger raging, she sought out the blonde doctor, hell bent on giving her a piece of her mind. Asking several other doctors, she stormed to the lounge. Quickly gathering a breath, she threw the door open, surprising Erica and two others in the room.

"Callie!" Erica's voice was unusually chipper. "Good to see you, again." Callie thought about all the words that she wanted to say. All the pain that she wanted Erica to feel which wouldn't even come close to what Erica made her feel. Her first lesbian relationship and she just walked away. Did she have any idea what that did to her self-esteem? She was always a confident woman and Erica came in after George and tore her down. It could have ruined her for Arizona.

"What's the matter, hun? Cat got your tongue?" Erica laughed at Callie's blank stare.

"I am not 'hun' to you. I am Dr. Torres. What are you doing back?"

"My job, Callie. I am doing my job. Webber asked me back because they are expanding Cardio. Is there a problem?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Callie persisted.

"Did I need to check with you? I assumed you would have moved on by now, didn't think it was a big deal."

Erica's lack of respect puzzled Callie. "What the hell did I ever do to you? For you to treat me like this?"

The two other women quickly excused themselves from the room. "Treat you like what Callie?"

"You left. Without a word. And now you come back. Without a word. You don't just do that to people. You don't just come in and out of their life and you please."

"Wow. I didn't think you still cared this much" Erica locked into Callie's dark eyes.

"I don't"

"Could have fooled me." Erica crossed the room to stand painfully close to her ex. "This sure looks like you care" Erica said as she lifted Callie's face with a finger under her chin.

"Don't touch me Erica. Please, ok?" Callie's voice was stern but quiet.

Erica wrapped her arms around the Latina. "It is good to see you again, Callie. I hope that we can be friends again." Callie closed her eyes at the contact. The smell of Erica immediately brought her back to all the times that they spent together before she left. Her stomach fluttered at the memories. "And congratulations. With the engagement. Dr. Grey told me about it this morning." Callie was brought out of her memories by Erica's words. Arizona. Shit. Erica broke contact and walked out of the lounge.

"I have to tell Arizona." Callie thought. "Ugh, she reads me like a fucking book. How am I going to explain being upset that she is here? And we have been arguing about this damn wedding and Sophia. It'll just make it worse." Callie felt the familiar buzz of her pager on her hip. After reading a 911 page from another doctor, she scrambled out of the lounge trying to forget about Erica and having to tell Arizona.

**PRESENT DAY**

"You don't know why you didn't tell me?"

"I was scared to. I didn't want you to see that I was upset that she was back. And I shouldn't even be upset. Just seeing her again, it brought back all those feelings that I felt when she walked out."

"You still have feelings for her?"

Callie thought for a brief moment. "No, Arizona. It still hurts, but I wouldn't trade you for a million Erica's. I love you. And I know I messed up. We just… we need to get back to us. All this stress and arguing… we need to get back to how we were."

"I want you to tell her." Arizona's stern voice had returned.

"Tell her what?"

"About us. I want it to come from you."

Callie agreed to the stipulations and tried to comfort her fiancé. She put her emotions on the back burner to be handled tomorrow.


	34. Chapter 34

**Sorry this update is so late. I had a bit of writer's block and was unsure where I wanted to go with the story. Should I let Callie falter and stretch the story a few chapters or have her go in gun's blazing and protect her relationship? I usually tend to err on the side of happiness for our favorite girls… but I am still working through it. I enjoy all the reviews and alerts of people still adding this story to their favorites even though we are 33 chapters in. Any suggestions would be welcomed and I love to hear your opinions! This update is not very eventful but I love showcasing the support that the women have for their relationship. That is what this chapter is about. I hope you enjoy, and I hope that I can put out some more eventful stuff soon. Hope you like it!**

**XXXXXXXXX**

'Mom, hey, it's me." Arizona sat in the parking lot of work thinking about the events of the past few days. She needed to talk to someone other than Callie. "Is uh… is dad around? I kind of wanted to talk to him before I go into to work."

"Yea baby, hold one second." Arizona took a deep breath and readied herself to speak with her father. Though she was always comfortable speaking with him and cherished their talks, speaking about her relationship and its difficulties was something that she did not look forward to. "Hey, sweetie!" her father's deep voice came through the phone. She smiled at his words but her voice portrayed her sullen feelings which were quickly noted by Daniel.

"Hey dad."

"What's wrong, Arizona? Are you ok?"

"Yea… well I guess. Look I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Ok, shoot."

Arizona took another deep breath. "Dad, I know we don't normally talk about stuff like this, and I probably should have just talked to mom or…. I don't know."

"Baby just spit it out."

Arizona had to smile at his sternness, this is how he normally handled feelings, just get them out and get over them. He was never one to stifle his children's feelings but also weathered enough to resort often to his "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" mentality.

"Callie and I are kind of going through a rough patch. She uh, has been kind of short lately, arguing with me about the wedding and keeping things from me. She didn't tell me that her ex just began working at her hospital recently and when I asked her why, she just told me that it would have made matters worse. And we have never lied. Well I have never lied. I thought that she was the same. And it is not like she lied. I mean she didn't tell me that she _wasn't_ working there, she just didn't tell me right away, I guess. And I know that it isn't as bad. She just told me last night and blamed not telling me on the fact that I spend so much time with Sophia which I think is shit UH CRAP… I think it is crap. Sorry. And I just am worried dad. I am worried." Daniel tried to sort through the influx of information that had been thrown his way and listened to his daughter ramble. Rambling was nothing new to the Robbins women, Arizona undoubtedly learned this from her mother who was notorious for it. Daniel had developed a keen ear and a patience for the trait. "And I shouldn't be. I have tried since I have been with her to not allow Julie to be a factor in my relationship with Callie but it is. I keep waiting for her to just walk away. And this would be the perfect opportunity. We are stressed with the wedding and Sophia has been clingy and is not allowing us much time to just be us and now with Erica coming back… I am just waiting for it. And I don't want to tell her that because she will think that I don't have faith in her and I do. It's just…. Ugh. Losing Julie the way that I lost her was horrible. It changed everything about me. But losing Callie and Sophia, dad, I don't think…. Well I can't do that. I can't. I love her so much more than I ever loved Julie and that little girl, dad, she calls me Momma and you have no idea what that does to me. I want 10 more just like her. With Callie's hair and eyes and… if she runs back to Erica, if she leaves….."

"Arizona Robbins…. Take a breath." Her father cut off her rant. "Have you spoken to her about this?"

"We had a talk last night about Erica and I asked her to tell her about us, she said she would. But that was it."

"Do you believe her?" Daniel asked.

Arizona thought for a moment. She had no reason to not believe Callie. This was the first time that she had been anything less than completely honest with her. "Yes" she answered.

"Then there you have it. Look, Arizona, I know that this is hard. It's supposed to be hard. All great things in life are hard. It will be hard when Sophia goes to school, when she goes off to college, when she gets married. It will be hard when you have other children and have to manage a career and family. It will be hard just being married and seeing the same person every day. You will fight. You will scream. You will hurt each other. But you will always make up for it. Because she is worth it. I see how you are with her. I see how much she loves you. And how much you love her. Is it easy to love someone that much? No. It is one of the hardest things you will ever do. But you will do it. And you will never regret doing it."

Arizona listened intently to her father's words. She had always trusted the man. Trusted him from the time she was born and developed such a deep respect for him after her brother, Timothy, died. He had been strong and supportive for his wife and daughter but dealt with his grief appropriately so as to no abandon his family during the process. He had been everything that she needed, everything that she wanted in a father. She trusted him wholly. "Thank you, dad."

"Anytime sugar." Silence. "Look, I know you. You will think and rethink every word, every move, every thought every time something goes bad. But you owe it to her to believe in her. To have faith in her. And she owes that to you. She welcomed you into her life, sweetie, and into her daughter's. And you accepted without ever looking back. Everything will be ok. I promise."

"I love you, dad."

"I love you too, sweetie. Now get into work. I hope you don't make it a habit of being late." Arizona laughed at his version of humor.

"I still have 10 minutes, dad. Thanks. I will call you soon. Tell mom I love her."

"She loves you too. Bye bye."

Arizona hung up the phone and let his words sink in before heading into work. She knew that her dad was right and that her fears were just a product of the stress of the changes coming her way. But it was a welcome change, a change that she had waited her whole life for.

XXXXXXXXX

"Torres, you paged me?" Mark asked, walking into the on-call room at the hospital.

"Fucking Erica" was her only response.

"Hahn? Am not!"

"No Mark, fucking Erica is back. And she hugged me yesterday. Fucking hugged me. And Arizona is pissed. She wants me to tell Erica about us and getting married and everything!"

"Well yea, why wouldn't you want to?"

"I don't know. It's not that I don't want to. That's not the point. Why the fuck is she back? When everything was fine!"

"Woah woah woah, Torres. Slow down. What the hell are you talking about? What would this change with you a blondie?"

"I just don't want to have to see my ex every day. She was my first… ya know. I don't think that I should have to see her. She was gone for years. Why come back now? Right before my fucking wedding. And she hugged me, Mark. And she smelled just like she used to smell. Ugh, and it just reminded me of how much I missed her. So much. For so long. Before Arizona came al…"

"Exactly, BEFORE Arizona came along." Mark cut off Callie's words. "Look, this is crazy. You love Blondie and she adores you. It is sickening really. She loves our daughter. She is great with her. When Sophia is with me I have to ask her to stop talking about her mommies. Which is great for my ego by the way. Whatever these feelings are with Hahn, it is only because you weren't prepared for her to come back. You might have to see her. But show her what she walked out on, Torres. Do you think you were happier with her than Blondie? Do you think she would be better for Sophia?"

Callie had to think for only a few seconds. "No, not at all."

"Then what the hell, Torres. You should be proud of what you have. You should want to throw it in her face. Or just be happy with the fact that you are better off. Arizona loves you. That's all that matters."

Callie looked at Mark with wide eyes, trying to let his words sink in and find the inner strength to confront Erica. With a quick nod of her head she turned on her heels and was out the door.


	35. Chapter 35

**Sudden inspiration! Completely due to AZsgirl's genius idea! Hope you guys like it as much as I do. Credit goes to her!**

"Have you seen Dr. Hahn?" Callie asks the cluster of people at the nurse's station. "Dr. Hahn, have you seen her?" Several shaking heads and confused looks give her her answer. She walks down the hall asking various staff that passes her. "Christina, have you seen Hahn?"

"O.R. 2. Valve replacement."

Without a word she changes her direction toward the OR. Stopping at the door she takes a breath. "I can't just waltz into her surgery" she says to herself. Choosing the more responsible option, she marches up to the gallery to watch the surgery. "Maybe seeing her will take away the nerves". Callie sits next to several residents in the gallery and quickly finds the blonde near the operating table. Even with her face covered with a surgical mask she could see the smug look as she berated a subordinate for a delay before answering her question. Reaching forward and turning the microphone off, she looks back and silently apologizes to the others who were listening. Hearing her voice wasn't going to make this any easier. Callie silently brooded over everything that she wanted to say to her ex, the ex that walked out on her like she was nothing, the ex that made it nearly impossible for her to trust again, the ex whose smell was so unique and intoxicating that she could sense it without even being near her. "Fuck" she said to herself. Shaking her head to clear the thoughts she reached for her phone, intent on sending Arizona a message for a little encouragement. "Who the hell am I kidding? Asking my girlfriend to talk me up to telling my ex off." She placed her phone back in her pocket and exited the gallery, forgetting to turn the microphone back on for the other patrons.

Arizona sat in her office bouncing her knee and chewing on her bottom lip. Her eyes were fixated on her cell phone which sat on her desk. "Everything ok, Zone?" Lucy's words pulled Arizona out of her trance.

"Yep, I'm good."

"You sure? You look nervous. Want to talk?"

"No. I'm good. Just gotta have faith in her right?" Arizona let out a small laugh and looked at the confused Lucy.

"Alright. What u got planned for lunch? I was thinking about grabbing a smoothie."

Lunch. If Arizona couldn't make it through the rest of the day before finding out what happened with Callie and Erica then she would just ask her at lunch. She sent a quick message to Lexie and asked if she could have Sophia ready so she could pick her up and run to the hospital. She knew from their small talk this morning that Callie did not have a surgery until 3pm which left her entire morning open, unless there was an emergency of course. "Thanks, Lucy. I think I am going to grab lunch with Sophia today. Rain check til tomorrow though?"

"Sure thing"

Arizona watched the minutes as they passed, darting out of the door a few minutes early to pick up Sophia and rush to the hospital.

"Callie, a little bird told me you were looking for me! What can I do for you?" Erica's words rang through the lounge causing Callie to spin from the coffee maker, spilling hot coffee on her hands and scrub shirt.

"Fuck." Callie cursed the liquid.

"Klutz!" Erica laughed causing a blush to creep across Callie's face. "Let me help you." Erica crossed the room and grabbed several napkins to blot the liquid from her hands and top. Erica's smell, even after being in latex gloves and elbow deep in a chest cavity, still lingered between the women.

"Erica" Callie's voice came out as a whisper as the blonde's hands slowed over her chest, coming to rest right between the valley of Callie's breasts. Callie looked down and took the napkins from her hands, lingering her hands on Erica's. When she looked up Erica's blue eyes shone brightly and she had a genuine smile spreading across her face. Callie looked for a few seconds and reluctantly pulled her eyes away. She tried to find the anger that she had earlier in the morning. Tried to remember the words that she practiced and tried to summon the courage to tell her how she had moved on, but their closeness felt too much like old times. She was not angry at the woman anymore. She missed her. She wondered what she had done to make her walk away. She wondered what would have been had she stayed. Would she have been a good mom? Would Sophia even have been born? "Lu…uh…lunch?" was all that Callie could muster, being lost in the smells and sights from before. "Do you want lunch?"

Erica laughed and placed a small playful slap on Callie's left arm. "Sure! Change your shirt, meet me in 5" Erica sauntered out of the room leaving Callie alone with her stained shirt and memories. She slowly changed her shirt, Arizona coursing through her mind as she questioned her decision to spend time with her ex. "I'll tell her at lunch. Civilized."

Callie walked through the doors of the cafeteria and noticed Erica seated at a table alone with two trays in front of her. She walked to the table and quietly sat down. Erica pushed one of the trays her direction. "You fixed my tray?" Callie asked never looking toward the woman across from her.

"Someone had to do it. So Callie… how have you been? What have you been up to?" Erica's words seemed so casual, as if they were passing friends who had not seen each other in a while. Like they had never been lovers. Callie blinked back her confusion and opened her mouth to answer but Erica began speaking. "I have been good, thanks for asking. Went to Hopkins after I left here. Hated the weather, and my boss. Sexist bastard. Made good money, though. More than here…" Erica's words trailed off as she stared at the blonde talking. The words were meaningless but her presence stirred something inside of her. The memories of her first time and explorations came back to her. Her first kiss with a woman played before her eyes. Softer than all the kisses she had shared with men. She wasn't scratched by any facial stubble and she wasn't rushed into furthering the kiss. Her first kiss with a woman was a surprise in an elevator, not what she would have picked, but it was meaningful. The softness of her lips, the soft caress of her hand as it was placed on her cheek, the smell of her sweet perfume and the feel of the woman's hair as a few strands fell into her own face. She was brought back to that moment.

"Sophia baby, you want to surprise Mami for lunch?"

"Yes, ma'am! Where?"

"At the hospital, she is at work sweetie."

"Ok. I put on my shoes" Sophia's words trailed off as she tiptoed to the rear of Mark and Lexie's apartment. Lexie noticed the nervousness that the blonde was portraying and, after speaking with Mark, knew that it was a product of Erica's arrival back in Seattle.

"You alright, Arizona?" Lexie asked the woman.

"Yea, yea. Why wouldn't I be?" Arizona feigned confusion.

"Just asking" Lexie looked concerned and Arizona knew that she would not be able to uphold her façade much longer. Luckily Sophia broke the tension.

"Ready Momma!" the little girl called.

"Alright, big girl. Let's see. Are you getting too big to hold, yet?" Arizona played as she picked up her daughter.

"Am I?" Sophia laughed as she was raised to the hip of the woman she always considered her mother.

Arizona faked strain and grunted. "Ugh, almost! But not quite!" She placed a soft kiss on the little Latina's face and both women headed toward the door. "Thanks a million Lex, I will have her back in about an hour."

"Bye Ms. Lex!"

As Arizona strapped Sophia into her booster, little brown eyes roamed her face. "Momma"

"Yea baby?"

"You and Mami was sad last night?" Arizona looked at the little girl questioning how she was able to pick up on their stress.

"No baby. We are just a little tired. We need a play date" She tried to ease the girl's tension. "But we aren't sad."

"You not sad with Soph?" The question took Arizona by surprise. But after all, Sophia was four. Everything in her little world revolved around her. Of course when her moms were upset she would think it was her fault.

"No baby. We are not sad with you. We love you very much. I promise ok?"

Sophia smiled shyly. "Yes ma'am."

"You are a sweet girl, you know that?" The smile only grew wider. "And you are very special. I love you, ok?"

"Love you too, Momma." Arizona tried to blink back the tears as she touched Sophia's little cheek. These little moments were common with the little girl but they still made her heart swell each time. She gave one last look to the big brown eyes in front of her. "Ready to see Mami?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes ma'am!" And the women were off.

As the two girls pulled up to the hospital, Arizona unbuckled Sophia and placed her on her hip. Arizona saw Mark chatting with a nurse in the middle of the surgical floor. "Hey Mark! You seen Calliope?" Mark spun his head around toward the familiar voice.

"Hey big girl!" He exclaimed, giving his daughter's hair a tussle. He kissed her on the cheek and straightened her shirt. "Um I haven't seen her around. Try on-call or the cafeteria. Want me to page her?"

"No, no. I'll find her. Thanks!" Arizona was off to surprise her fiancé and hopefully find out how the talk went. Arizona first tried to on-call room because it was closer to her present location. Finding no one in there but Derek snoring lightly, she walked toward the Cafeteria. She walked through the doors and scanned the several tables which were filled with the same color scrubs as Callie wears. She looked for her fiance's dark hair and she spotted her in the middle of the room. When she looked across the table, her heart dropped. There was the love of her life laughing and sharing a meal with the one other woman who still had a piece of her heart.


	36. Chapter 36

**Continuation of AZsgirl's idea! **

Arizona stared at the two women laughing and talking with each other. It seemed so natural. Nothing was forced. It did not appear as though anything negative had been brought up. Arizona didn't even realize as a tear slipped down her face. She had even forgotten about the child on her hip until Sophia touched the wet trail on the blonde's cheek. Not having the gumption to look at the child, she ignored the touch and was surprised when her feet began to move toward the table. She walked with purpose from behind Callie who was never the wiser. Her heels making it a little more difficult to walk with shaking legs. She stood at the table and listened to Callie's words about surgery. She stared at the blonde in front of her who flashed her eyes toward her a few times before speaking. "Are you lost?" was the cocky woman's question. This caused Callie to spin in her seat to see who Erica was speaking to. Seeing her fiancé and her daughter behind her caused a slight panic. She quickly raised herself from her seat and stood between Erica and Arizona. Arizona craned her neck around Callie's body to keep eye contact with the woman. When Callie took another step into her line of vision Arizona's eyes locked with Callie's.

Arizona's shaky voice betrayed her stark demeanor, "We wanted to have lunch with you. Guess we should have made reservations."

Callie saw the hurt in Arizona's eyes and turned to introduce the women, not knowing what else to do. She opened her mouth to begin the introduction but was cut off.

"Who is this Callie? And why is she interrupting our lunch?" Erica questioned continuing to look at Arizona.

The bite in the question caught Callie off guard. She gave a quick questioning look to Erica and tried the introduction again but was again interrupted. "I am Arizona. And I assume by this sweet and welcoming first impression that you are Erica Hahn."

Erica raised her eyebrows and placed her napkin on the table. "Quite the little spitfire isn't she?" Callie placed a hand on Arizona's chest to stop her slow advances toward the table. Another stray tear fell down Arizona's face which did not go unnoticed by any of the other three.

"Momma crying!" Sophia looked toward Callie, silently asking her to fix whatever was hurting her Momma. Callie found no words to alleviate the tension in the room. She reached her hands out toward Sophia to take her from the shaking woman but Sophia shied into Arizona's shoulder, turning her back to her Mami.

"She is fine where she is" Arizona told Callie, never breaking eye contact with Erica.

"Mami" Sophia said with tears welling in her own eyes. "Momma crying!"

"Oh, I see." Erica said standing up. "This must be the fiancé. She has a daughter, Callie? I thought you were better than that."

Arizona opened her mouth with every intention of telling the blonde off for even speaking about Sophia as if she weren't the most magnificent thing in the world. The only words that came to her mind were not nearly appropriate for speaking in front of the child on her hip. She resorted to a slow shake of her head and a steadying breath. She nearly missed Callie's eyes shoot a glare at Erica.

"Pardon me saying this, Callie. But really, blonde hair blue eyes? Kind of obvious isn't it? The only thing she has on me is a kid and a few less pounds, oh and shorter skirts, must be how she got the kid, right?" Erica let out a small laugh and Callie glared at her racking her brain for the appropriate words. She maintained her hand on Arizona's chest. She tried to speak but was cut off a third time by Arizona's words.

"So you are going to let her talk to me like that, right? Just gonna stand there with your mouth open? Let her walk all over me like she did you?" Callie shot a look back to Arizona, confused as to when she turned against her.

"No." She said, looking back to Erica.

"You make Momma cry!" Sophia spoke in the loudest voice she could while staring at the larger blonde. "You say you are sorry."

Erica laughed. "She taught you well! What happened to not speaking to strangers? I would appreciate that little rule right now."

Sophia felt all the tension between the three women and with the panicked look from one mother and the tears falling from the eyes of the other, she began crying in fear. "Momma, stop crying please?" She said to Arizona. The blonde hugged the little girl and tried to shush her. The little Latina craned her neck backward to try to look at the other blonde. "You mean to Momma. You say sorry!"

"Oh, here we go with the water works." Erica smirked.

Arizona quickly realized that the situation was not going to resolve itself and she felt horrible for letting Sophia hear the comments and see her upset. She pulled Sophia's head into her shoulder, covering her ear. She looked toward Callie who was still unable to form words. "I am bringing her back to YOUR house." Arizona let her voice accentuate the hurtful word and Callie winced. Arizona turned on her heels and walked out of the cafeteria the way that she came in. Callie watched as her daughter's pained face got smaller and smaller. Sophia then buried her face into Arizona's neck as they reached the doorway. "Fuck" Callie whispered.

"Sit down Callie, let's finish our meal." Erica motioned for Callie to sit.

"Are you serious? What the fuck was that?" Callie stood with her hands on the table staring at Erica.

"What? She started it!" Erica tried to maintain her innocence.

"What are you fucking 5? That was my fiancé. And you were a complete bitch. What the hell were you thinking?" She saw Erica open her mouth to contest. "You know what? Just don't. I am the idiot here. I can't believe I even came here. I broke her trust. That was Arizona, my fiancé, and MY child. The child that I had after you left. And Arizona has treated her as her own. She has been amazing. She is nothing like you. Blonde hair and blue eyes, maybe. But trust me, she is nothing like you. I love her. And I am a fucking idiot for wasting my time here." Callie took off out of the cafeteria leaving a stunned Erica with all eyes on her.

Meanwhile, Arizona tried too late to shelter the child from the altercation. She rushed out of the cafeteria with a tear stained face, still holding her daughter's head to her shoulder. She turned the corner to exit and saw Mark in the same place that he was when she walked in. Noticing Arizona hurriedly exiting, he stepped in front of her to ask what was wrong. "Not now, Mark. We are leaving."

"What the hell happened, Arizona?"

"Ask Calliope" was her response as she tried to push past Mark. Mark grabbed Arizona by the waist and spun her to face away from the exit.

"Talk to me. You are not driving Sophia like this. What is going on?"

Arizona took several deep breaths, wiping the tears from her eyes with the hand that was previously shielding Sophia's ears from harsh words. "You know what, take her." Arizona handed the child off to Mark and began walking back the way she came. Her eyebrows drew together and tears again formed in her eyes as she heard the tiny voice calling after her and crying. She maintained her posture as she entered the cafeteria, nearly running head on into Callie.

"Fuck, Arizona, I was coming to find you."

"Get out of my way, Calliope."

The Latina grabbed Arizona's arm but it was quickly broken by a skillful sweep to Callie's wrist, something that Arizona had used many times on perpetrators, but never on the body of the person she thought loved her. Callie called after Arizona but she was standing in front of Erica before she could speak the words. Callie quickly walked behind Arizona, ready to be the support that she was unable to be just minutes ago.

"Alright look. I don't know what the hell your problem is but the shit ends here." Callie's mouth dropped as she heard the words leave Arizona's mouth. "You want Callie? Is that what you want? Well good fucking luck. I was there when you weren't. I didn't walk out like you did. And I won't. I saved her fucking life. I love her daughter more than life itself." Arizona continues, not realizing that the Latina was behind her. "You think you can treat people like shit because you think you are better than them? Or because you both are doctors? Or is it just because you are a miserable person?" Arizona paused for a second, more to calm herself rather than to allow Erica to answer. But when Erica opened her mouth Arizona knew that she did not want to hear anything she had to say. "That was a rhetorical question so close your mouth. Calliope is a big girl. She can make her own decisions. But I assure you if you are trying to win her over, you will have a hell of a time. And one more thing…. Erica if you ever" Arizona closed the distance between her and the other blonde by leaning over the table and placing her two fists on the surface, "And I mean ever, make that little girl cry again or so much as look at her the way that you did" Arizona's voice dropped to a whisper and she made direct eye contact, blue eyes staring into blue, "You. Will. Regret. It. Enjoy your lunch, Dr. Hahn." Arizona gave the blonde a sly smile before spinning quickly into Callie's chest. She met Callie's eyes and her smile faded. She noticed both fire and sadness in Callie's eyes, her eyebrows drawn together and her eyes wide. Arizona kept her voice at a whisper, "We will talk at your house." Arizona still referred to their home as Callie's house to show her disappointment in the woman. The smaller blonde's eyes dropped to the Latina's open mouth. Arizona snaked her hand around the back of Callie's neck and crashed their mouths together. She moved her mouth aggressively over Callie's, pushing her tongue into her partner's. Callie responded by grabbing Arizona's hips and pulling her body into hers. As a soft moan left Callie's lips and their mouths fought for dominance, Arizona's hand moved from Callie's neck to her face and in between their lips. Arizona backed away from the Latina and walked slowly out of the room.

She trekked the same path as before, seeing Mark still holding an upset Sophia. She walked to him and took the child in her arms, gave her a tight hug, and walked out of the hospital, ignoring Mark's voice asking her to stop and talk. Arizona's only thought was to get her daughter out of the hospital and away from the harsh words of the rude blonde. "I'm so sorry, baby. So sorry. I promise that won't happen again, ok?"

"Momma, I want Mami to come with us."

Arizona's newfound resolve broke with the little girl's words. "Me too sweetheart. She will be with you tonight, though. Ok?" Sophia rested her head on Arizona's shoulder as they walked toward the car, neither of them seeing Callie watching them from the hospital entrance.


	37. Chapter 37

Arizona tried her best to continue the rest of her day at work after dropping Sophia off at Lexie's. The sight of her already clingy little girl holding onto her leg and crying after what happened at the hospital broke her heart. Arizona received three calls from Callie after she left the hospital but she ignored each one, not having the strength to continue what was started. After receiving a text message which she did not respond to, Arizona turned her phone off to try to finish her day in peace.

"Fuck" Callie screamed after hearing Arizona's voicemail greeting without hearing a ring first. She paced the floor of the lounge while Mark sat on the couch with his arms on his knees staring at his angry best friend.

"Give her time. Tell me what the hell happened in there."

"Erica was completely out of line, that's what happened. Arizona came to get lunch with me and Erica was a total fucking bitch. She pretty much called her a slut for the skirt she was wearing and told me that I could do better. Sophia was crying. Arizona was crying. I didn't fucking know what to say!"

"You didn't say anything Torres?"

"No, Mark. And don't look at me that way. I tried. I didn't know what to say. It happened so fast. One minute I am catching up with Erica the next she is gnashing teeth with my fiancé…. Shit!" Callie cursed her phone again as she received Arizona's voicemail for a fourth time. She threw her phone toward the couch nearly missing Mark.

"What happened after that? Did Robbins say anything?"

"She cried and left. Then she came back and told Erica off. It was pretty fucking awesome. She told her that she would fight for me. And then she went into overprotective mom mode because of what Erica said about Sophia. It was hot." Callie smiled but it quickly faded. "But she isn't fucking answering now! She is mad at me."

"You need to talk it out with her. That's all. She was probably surprised to see you eating with her and, well you should have said something when she attacked Arizona, but if you didn't then then you need to now. Go tell Hahn exactly where the hell she can go and talk to Blondie tonight."

"I told Erica, already. But Arizona didn't hear it."

"Ok." Mark raised himself from the sofa and crossed the floor to stand in front of Callie. He took her into his strong arms and rubbed circles on her back. "It'll be alright. Get through your surgery and make it up to her tonight. I suggest candy. Lots of it. And wine. And pick up some lingerie on the way home for good measure. I'll keep the little one tonight."

"Thank's Mark" Callie said into Mark's chest. "God, I could really use a cigarette right now."

"Everything ok, Zone? You uh, look like you could kill someone."

"I might." Arizona answered without looking at her friend, eyes locked onto nothing in particular, clicking a pen feverishly in her right hand.

"Wanna talk?"

"Nope."

"Wanna drink?"

"Yep."

"What you say we hit that little bar down the street after work? I could use a beer."

"K."

Lucy gave Arizona a concerned look which went unnoticed. She sat down at her desk neighboring Arizona. "Give me a heads up if the homicidal feelings start raging."

"Yup."

Five hours later the two women sat at Joe's bar nursing a beer each. Lucy rambled about her love life, or a lack thereof, and tried to keep the conversation rolling even though she knew Arizona's mind was elsewhere. "Zone, come on, talk to me. I can see something is up."

"I am just mad. Like mad, mad. Like I want to hit her. In her stupid smug face. Hard."

"Callie?"

"No. Her girlfriend."

"What? Arizona! Explain."

"I mean her ex. Ugh, I don't want to talk about it, it is just going to make me mad."

Lucy ordered another round of beers, not noticing that Arizona had not even finished half of the one she had. Arizona let the beer get warm in front of her while she peeled the label on her first one. Lucy ordered another round shortly thereafter and finished the two that Arizona did not touch. Lucy tried to make small talk and Arizona was polite but not talkative. She looked at her watch and, noticing that it was nearly 8pm, she decided to drive Lucy home and check on Sophia, she missed her desperately and was worried about her after being so upset. Escorting Lucy to the car, she drove her home and helped her inside. After getting back in her car she drove to the apartment complex. She took a deep breath and steadied herself to walk into the apartment.

Callie had been inside her and Arizona's home for two hours and still had not seen her fiancé. Feeling completely lost, she went to the only other place that felt like home. After two quick knocks on Mark's door she let herself in. She nodded to Mark on the sofa. "Lexie?" she asked.

"Night shift."

"Ah." Callie made her way to Sophia's room. She pulled the rocking chair beside the new "big girl" bed that she and Arizona had recently bought her. She had a matching one at their apartment. She found her daughter sleeping on her stomach, facing toward the door, mouth slightly open from being pressed against the mattress. Her little arms were stretched above her head. She smiled at her position remembering how Arizona told her that she gets her sleeping styles from her mother. She pulled up Sophia's t-shirt and ran her fingernails softly up and down the tanned back while her other hand played with strands of dark hair.

Mark spoke from the doorway "She has been out for about an hour. Guess she was tired from today"

"Yea, I think we upset her pretty bad" Callie whispered.

"I am going to uh… get some wine. Do you want some?" Mark asked. Callie shook her head. "It is going to be ok. You know that right? You messed up, but she loves you." Callie dropped her head, the last thing she wanted to do while spending time with her daughter was cry.

"I was an idiot. But I needed closure. Erica just left. Without a word. I needed closure. I just missed her but she is nothing compared to Arizona. My thoughts never left Arizona, Mark. I just felt like I wanted answers, why she left, why she didn't call, why I wasn't good enough. But I don't even care. I don't need to be good enough for her. I am good enough for Arizona, or I was. And I can't believe I didn't just tell her that then." Callie spoke without turning to face Mark.

"I'll be back in a little while," Mark said. He received a nod. Mark walked to the kitchen and sent Arizona a quick message. "Where the hell are you blondie?"

"Just got to Callie's. Why?" was her response. Mark took off out the door as quickly as possible and walked to the apartment across the hall. He knocked out of habit but entered without waiting for a response. He stopped in the doorway when he saw Arizona with her knees to her chest on the sofa.

"Guess she didn't come home." Arizona whispered, knowing it was Mark at the door.

"Come to my apartment."

"I don't want to, Mark. I just want to sit here before I get my shit and go. I know she isn't still in surgery. It was an hour procedure she said it herself. She didn't come home."

"Shut up, Arizona. Come to my apartment. Your daughter needs you."

Arizona's's eyes shot toward Mark. "Is she ok?"

"Robbins, move your ass." Mark took Arizona's hand in his and pulled her off of the sofa. They walked silently into Mark's apartment. Mark looked at the blonde and put a finger over his own lips, telling her to keep quiet. They stood in the doorway of their daughter's room. Arizona's heart broke at the sight. She heard Callie's voice low and shaky, a sure sign that she was fighting back tears.

"And I never meant to make you upset like that. I should have never even agreed to go. And if I did I should have had the decency to tell your Momma about it. Because she did that for me. And I thought that it wasn't a big deal but I should have never put me and your Momma in that position. And you. It wasn't fair." Callie lightly scratched the little girl's back and talked to her sleeping form. "And I know I shouldn't be talking to you about this but… well you are sleeping and dreaming about candy and puppies and all kind of fun stuff, and you can't hear me anyway. So that makes it ok, right? Soph, I love your Momma. A lot. One day I hope you are able to find someone that you love that much. And I hope that that person, man or woman, treats you with the same respect that your Momma has always shown me. And I hope that you do the same. And I hope that their smile changes your day. And I hope that their touch is one of comfort and security. And I hope that you find someone who makes you feel beautiful every day. Someone who will kiss you when you are crazy and make you smile when you feel like you can only cry. I hope that you can find what I found in your Momma." Arizona felt like her heart was going to swell out of her chest. She wiped the several tears that had escaped her eyes and silently motioned for Mark to leave her alone. He walked away silently. "And I am going to make this better, ok? For me and you. Because I don't want to lose her and much as you don't. Aside from you, munchkin, she is kind of the best thing that ever happened to me. She makes me feel pretty special, kiddo. And if you only knew how much she loves you. God, she loves you. And I hope you can't hear this but, if it ever comes down to her taking mine or your side… well I got no chance. Sometimes I watch her when she is talking to you or watching you sleep, and it feels like she has been with us all along. Like she was meant to be here from the beginning. I used to watch her when you were still a little baby when she was holding you. If it weren't for your hair and dark skin, you would have thought that she gave birth to you with the way she looked at you. We both love you sweetheart. And I know you love her." Arizona took a quiet deep breath and crossed the floor to stand behind her sitting fiancé. "Can I tell you a secret, Soph? I can smell her perfume sometimes when she isn't even around. That's gonna be real bad if she decides not to forgive me."

Arizona smiled and closed her eyes, placing a hand on Callie's shoulder. She felt the woman tense under her hands for a split second before she stood quickly and pulled Arizona into a crushing hug.

When she spoke, Callie's voice was a raspy whisper "God I am so glad you are here." Callie grabbed the back of Arizona's shirt in her fists as she squeezed tighter. "I am so… so sorry Arizona"

Arizona's shaky voice matched Callie's as she spoke into her black hair. "We need to talk, ok?"


	38. Chapter 38

**Thank you all, as always, for the support. I am not super happy with this chapter but I wanted to get it out anyway. Hope it doesn't disappoint!**

"Calliope…" Arizona sighed letting herself fall into the chair in the apartment living room.

"I know. I know I screwed up." Callie paced the floor. "I hate being in trouble. I hate it. Everything about it. I am not great at apologizing and that's what you need and I suck at them." Callie did hate the feeling that someone was upset with her. "It makes me…"

"Calliope, let me talk."

"Ok. Ok talk." Callie tried to calm her nerves by taking a seat on the sofa turning her body to face the blonde.

"I am just… I'm so mad at you" Callie let the words sink in and she closed her eyes briefly before finding Arizona's. "Even if you did want her… even if you wanted her you let her say that shit to me Calliope. She told you that you could do better, and you just looked at her? For fuck's sake Calliope your four year old daughter stood up for me and you didn't. Not that I need someone to stand up for me. At all. But it would have been a nice gesture. Do you know that Sophia cried all the way home? She kept asking for you to come with us." Callie dropped her head to look at her lap. "What the hell _was_ that Callie? You still have feelings for her?"

"No Arizona, No."

"Then what the hell was it?" Arizona's voice was louder than Callie had expected, causing her to jump in her seat.

"I… I don't know Arizona."

"Oh, don't give me that shit, ok? Do you know how I felt in there? Do you have any idea?" Arizona waited for a response but was only met with a shaking head. "She made me feel like nothing to you. You made me feel like nothing to you."

"Arizona everything happened so fast! I wasn't expecting you to be there. I hadn't prepared…"

"Prepared? You had to prepare to defend me?"

"I just was caught off guard, Arizona. You know… you are so good at just acting. You run into things full force. I don't know if it was your job or how you grew up that made you like that, but you are on the ready all the time. You say the right things, you do the right things, and you do them without hesitation. God, talking to my parents, comforting Sophia, defending me, saving me, you just do it. And I was not trained for that. I contemplate surgeries for hours before going in. I consult and consult and review and consult. I am prepared. And I know that I should have said something. I know. I should have jumped to your defense and protected you. But I didn't. And I suck. I know that. I just… I messed up. But does that mean that I don't love you?" Callie moved off of the sofa and sat on the ataman in front of Arizona, taking both of her hands in her own. "No, it doesn't mean that. Does it mean that I don't want to be your knight in shining armor when you need it? No, it doesn't mean that either. It means that you have found a flaw." Callie smiled trying to lighten the mood. "And there are very few of those so celebrate while you can." Callie chuckled to herself but her smile faded when Arizona's cold blue eyes met her own. "Sorry, not a joking time."

"It hurt, Callie. A lot."

"Baby, I know. I am so so sorry. Anything that I can do to make it better and I promise I will."

Arizona took a few shallow breaths before bringing her eyes down to her hands. "Timothy and I were two years apart. We were close. He was older than me but small. We looked like we were twins. Well, I was a tomboy and we moved around a lot so we didn't really have a lot of friends. It was me and him, ya know. We were on base playing football in the front yard and the neighbor's kids were outside. Jonathan. He was such a little ass. Well I threw the football too far and it went into their yard and Timmy had to go get it. I was too scared. By the time Timmy got there Jonathan had picked up the ball. Timmy asked for it back and Jonathan threw it at him. Hard. It hit him in the stomach and he dropped." Arizona smiled and Callie squeezed her hand. "I crossed the yard in like 2 seconds. And before Timmy could pick himself up off the ground I had delivered a not-so-skillful kick to Jonathan's groin. He dropped too. My big brother and Jonathan were both on the ground. And out of nowhere someone pushed me from behind. I fell onto Jonathan and hit my chin on his knee or something. I started crying. When I heard a wail I was sure it was coming from me, but Timmy had gotten up and had jumped on Jacob, Jonathan's brother, the one that pushed me. I rolled off of Jonathan and looked at my brother, straddling a prone Jacob and punching him in the stomach. And I laughed. My little chin was bleeding but I was laughing. Timmy told me to go home but I wasn't leaving him. Not by himself. Jacob kept screaming and crying so I grabbed Timmy's shirt and pulled him backwards. He put his arm around my shoulder and we looked at the Taylor boys holding themselves and writhing in pain. I picked up our football and we walked back to the house. And we never had to worry about those boys again. When we were in the front yard they went to the back. Now don't get me wrong, we got our hinds tanned that night when my dad got home. But after he spanked us for getting in a fight, he said that he was proud. He said he was proud that we protected each other. And we didn't know it then, but it would be the last time that either of us had that in another person. That complete trust. That feeling that no matter where you were, someone had your back. Tim went into the Marines, just like my dad. I had every intention of following. But Tim died two years in. He was on his third tour. And I was just coming of age to enlist. My parents begged me not to go. But I still felt like that little girl who wanted to kick someone in the balls for hurting my brother. But I saw my parents die with my brother. I saw pieces of them die. And I knew that if they lost their only other child then it would be the end of them. So I didn't go." Arizona realized that she had not wiped the tears that had fallen down her face, her hands being locked with Callie's. She made eye contact with the Latina and saw her eyes red and teary. "Maybe I expect too much, Calliope. Maybe jumping to my defense is not who you are. But it's who I am."

Callie's eyes never left her partner's, her voice just a whisper, "I understand. I'm sorry I didn't do what you need. I will do better. Ok? I promise. Don't give up on me yet."

"You don't have to do better by my Calliope" Arizona started.

"But I do! I do. And I want to. I love you so much and I don't want you to ever question that. You have done everything… everything I could have ever wanted. And you deserve someone to be like your brother again." Callie released Arizona's hands and brought her right hand up to the blonde's cheek, wiping away a tear. "Just don't cry anymore, ok? Sophia might kill me if she sees you crying again." Arizona smiled.

"I think she is going to be a protective one, too. Did you hear how she demanded an apology today?" Both women laughed.

"I know!" Callie's voice dropped. "I wonder where she gets that from." Callie's hand drifted to the blonde's jaw and neck, soothing the red skin under her fingers. "You are great for her you know? I can't imagine our life without you. I can't imagine her without you." A blush crept across the blonde's fair skin and she suppressed a smile. Strong hands lifted her chin to meet dark eyes. "And I would really like to thank you for being so great." Callie leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her fiancé's left cheek. "And so protective." A kiss on her right cheek. "And so sweet" A kiss to her forehead. "And so incredibly hot." A soft kiss to the blonde's nose. As her lips hovered playfully over her partner's soft pink lips, she was surprised when she spoke.

"Can I tell you what scared me most, Calliope?"

"Of course."

"When I saw you talking with her at lunch, before I even walked over… I thought about how I was going to have to explain it to Sophia if I had to leave. All of that went through my head in those few seconds that I saw you with her. I had to think about what I was going to say. How I was going to say it. And how I was going to keep her from crying." Arizona's voice broke. "And when I dropped her off she was more clingy than she has been. And I had to leave. And I thought about her forgetting me. She is only four. After a few months she would have forgotten. And I think that hurt more than anything."

"Arizona don't think about that, ok? I love you. You have to believe me. I messed up and I didn't act when I should have. I am going to mess up again. I am going to hurt you at one point or another. I will say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing or not do anything at all. I will get grumpy and take it out on you. But what I told Sophia was the truth. You both are the best thing that has ever happened to me. And I promise that I won't do anything to ruin that. You have to trust me. I know people have left you, sweetie. When you asked them not to. But you have to believe that I won't. You have to have faith in me. And I have to have faith in you." Callie again wiped away more tears and placed a lingering kiss on Arizona's cheek before pulling her into a tight hug.

"I love you Callie." Callie's breath caught in her throat as she felt soft lips on the skin of her neck. She leaned into the touch as Arizona brought her hand to her face and pulled her closer to her kiss. Callie's hands dropped to Arizona's hips and held her close and she felt her partner's warm mouth gliding over the skin of her neck. The Latina's breath deepened and she let out a small moan, signaling the blonde the continue. Arizona toyed with the skin just below the other woman's ear, raking her teeth across the before biting softly. Her hot tongue soothed the area before she laid a trail of kisses along a strong jawline. She used her right hand to tilt Callie's chin upward to assault the sensitive skin of her throat. Arizona felt Callie's breath and moans on her lips. She slowly moved to Callie's pulse point, biting again and soothing with a soft tongue. Arizona skillfully twisted both bodies so that Callie's back was to the chair, pushing the woman to a seated position. She slowly lowered herself onto the chair, straddling strong thighs. Her deep blue eyes met smoky brown and she continued her decent to Callie's neck. Pulling the material of her shirt off of her shoulder, she kissed the skin where her shoulder met her neck and sucked lightly. Callie wrapped her arms around Arizona's waist but they were quickly redirected to rest in one of the blonde's hands directly above Callie's head. The larger woman squirmed under the weight of her fiancé and tried to lower a hand to feel her body but Arizona's hand held strong. Arizona used her free hand to roam Callie's clothed body, her hand traveling up and down her torso, scraping her nails over her thighs. Her hand traveled upward to their joined hands, softly scraping her nails down the underside of Callie's arm, raising chill bumps behind her touch. Arizona took Callie's face in her soft hand and pulled her closer, their lips inches apart. Arizona tilted her head upward, her bottom lip touching Callie's. The Latina opened her mouth in anticipation. Arizona put more distance between them, smiling at her fiancé's reaction. She tried the motion again but was met with a fiery kiss from her partner. Callie wrestled her hands from the smaller one and grabbed and tugged at every big of Arizona that her hands found. Their mouths melted together, moving as one. Eyes clenched shut, hands roaming feverishly, tongues working for dominance. Callie bit Arizona's lower lip which drew a sharp breath from the blonde. Both women smiled and Arizona pulled the lip into her own mouth, soothing the skin with her tongue.

"Sorry baby." Callie smiled.

"Mhm." Arizona responded before crashing her mouth into Callie's again. The women sat there at length, rediscovering their passion for each other, revalidating each other's feelings and emotions, putting their desires into action. When the women parted it was only to lead each other to their bedroom. Behind those doors Callie gave Arizona every reassurance that she knew how and Arizona accepted readily.


	39. Chapter 39

**Sorry for the long delay. I hope to have another one out tomorrow. Hope this does not disappoint. Please let me know what you think!**

Arizona groggily pulled herself out of bed. After her make-up session with Callie last night, she had only gotten about four hours of sleep. She kissed the sleeping woman who curled into the spot the blonde just left and wrapped herself around her pillow. After a content sigh, Callie drifted back to sleep. Arizona smiled, gave her another quick kiss, and hurriedly showered and got ready for work. Knowing that Callie's alarm would be waking her in fifteen minutes, she opted not to wake her to tell her she was leaving. If there was one thing Callie hated worse than getting up in the morning it was getting up before the alarm demanded it. Arizona slipped out the door and sent Mark a quick message while she was walking to her car. "I will pick Soph up around 5. Give her a kiss please, and tell her I love her." As she sat in her car she quickly inspected her sidearm, pulling out the magazine full of rounds and hitting it back into place. She attached it again to her waist and concealed it with her jacket. She made it to work on time and grabbed a cup of coffee, chatting with Lucy about their night out. They made their way to their desks and began their work. It was less than an hour before Arizona's phone was vibrating on her desk. Recognizing the number as PD Headquarters, she picked up her phone.

"Robbins"

"Robbins its Hale. Look we need you at 393 Veterans. ASAP. I will explain when you get here."

"Sir, you gotta give me a head's up. I have been off patrol for months, what's going on?"

"One of your perps is in a standoff. He took his girlfriend hostage. SWAT is enroute but we need you here for the victim.

"Shit. Ok. On my way." Arizona hung up the phone and gathered her jacket and threw her phone into one of the pockets. A concerned look from Lucy prompted her to give a quick synopsis of what was going on.

"Fuck that, I am coming with you!" Lucy called, gathering her own belongings. The two quickly piled into Arizona's unmarked Charger, hit their lights and sirens, and headed north.

Callie walked into work and straight to the lounge without a word. Her four hours of sleep and awakening early to Arizona's rustling had started her morning off on a bad foot. She poured herself a large cup of black coffee and took a long sip, leaning against the table behind her to savor the moment. She let her mind wander to last night and the intense amount of making up she gladly partook in. She inhaled a deep breath and reveled in her quiet moment. She felt the familiar flutter in her stomach as she pictured Arizona's blue eyes softly shutting at her kiss. Callie closed her own eyes and replayed Arizona's pleading words as she lingered her mouth over her pulse point and ran her hand painfully slow down her toned abdomen. A small smile crept across Callie's face as last night played out in her mind. Arizona's mouth, her eyes, her sounds, they all crept through the Latina's head. She reveled in the memory of Arizona's hot skin under her fingertips and her smell as sweat shone across the bridge of her nose and her cheeks. The vision of Arizona's flushed face and her mouth agape was rolling across Callie's mind when a husky voice interrupted the moment.

"Callie, fancy meeting you here!"

"Fucking hell, Hahn"

Arizona's POV

I turn up the hand held police radio in my car, listening for any change in the situation on Veterans. The last radio traffic I heard transmitted told me that a perimeter was being maintained until negotiators and SWAT arrived. "It normally takes them 20 minutes to gear up and initialize" I think. I will be there before them. The thought terrifies me. A year ago I would have loved the thrill, loved the chase, lived for the danger, but now, my heart races at the thought of another shoot out or another foot pursuit.

"Hale, what kind of weapon?" I call over the radio, remembering that I forgot to get that critical information over the phone.

".40 Caliber Glock. I need an ETA Robbins. It is going south fast over here."

"ETA 4 minutes. I need a perimeter briefing. What type of building? Civilians? Children? What do we have Hale?" I listen intently as my former Lieutenant gives me a rundown of all the information that will give me a leg up before arriving on scene. If I thought my heart was racing before, hearing that there is an infant in the home makes it feel as though it is beating out of my chest. I take several deep breaths and prepare myself for what I will be walking into. One breath calms me. Another breath prepares me. A third breath and I am ready. I see a red light up ahead so I slow my car and change my siren wail as protocol requires. The monotonous long wail of my siren quickly changes to a fast high pitched blare as I try to make myself as noticeable as possible, warning other motorists that I need to get through the light. I slow my speed to allow the stopped cars in front of me to move to the right as I travel in the left lane. A quick look left, right, left again, and I see no threats. Hitting the gas, I pick up the pace as I see that the intersection is clear. I tune back into Hale's voice on the radio, focusing on every detail he is giving me. I almost jump out of my skin when I hear Lucy scream beside me.

"Arizona! Arizona!" I spin my head to look at Lucy, seeing her pointing toward me. I turn my head the opposite direction, but I never see what it is that scared her. I never see the vehicle right outside my window. I never hear the squeal of breaks as it approaches. My face slams against the window of my door, and all I see is black.

Callie's POV

"The nerve of that bitch to even try to talk to me again. If I thought I could control myself I would tell her exactly where she could shove her comment." The angry thoughts replay in my head, an unwanted intrusion after my daydream just seconds ago. I lean against the nurse's station desk and take another sip of my coffee. "It's gonna be one of those days." I am again brought out of my haze by a voice that I could go without hearing.

"Torres, MVA, 2 minutes out. Page Yang and Bailey."

"Jesus, why can't people just drive to work without playing fucking bumper cars?" I turn around to the nurse behind me, "Can you page Bailey and Hunt? Tell them to meet me on the ramp." She gives me a quick nod and picks up the phone to page the two doctors. I grab a sterile gown and gloves and cover my navy scrubs and white jacket. Miranda, Owen, and Christina meet me on the ambulance ramp in less than a minute, all donning themselves in the same attire. I look to Christina who acknowledges me with an audible grunt and a tilt of her chin. I return the gesture and watch the ambulance as it screeches to a halt in front of us.

Arizona's POV

"Move Arizona. Open your eyes and move." My own silent words of encouragement fall on deaf ears. I feel a searing pain on my left side. I couldn't put a finger on it if I tried. Everything hurts, from my head to my leg. My head is the worst. I feel my breath as it comes back to my body in a deep quick gasp. The pain hits my chest now as it expands with the air. "Open your eyes. Lucy! Lucy! Are you ok?" I try to speak and open my eyes to check on my partner. I try to speak but nothing comes out. The second breath that I force into my lungs sears with the same intensity as the first. Every fiber of my body is screaming at me for more air, screaming for a reprieve from the pain, screaming to open my eyes and fix what is hurting. But I can't. I don't. I want to stop trying. The third breath catches in my throat. I will it to enter my lungs but the pain is too much. It causes me to sputter and my body is racked with coughs. I taste copper in my mouth, blood. I smell the same as it comes from my nose. I demands my eyes one more time to open but when they betray me, I stop trying.

Callie's POV

I snap my gloves into place as the paramedic jumps out of the back of the wailing ambulance. "Female, early 30's. Driver. Left side impact. Airbag deployment. Non-responsive. Pulse is thready." I walk to the rear of the ambulance as the paramedic and Hunt pull the stretcher out, allowing the wheels to extend and snap into place. As the stretcher is set on the ground, I look at the victim from the feet up, her body covered with a dark blue blanket. The only part of her body that is exposed is her face which is covered with a plastic mask attached to a bag which is covering her mouth and nose. Hunt rolls the stretcher by me and the sight makes my blood go cold. I stare at the stretcher in shock, my eyes wide and mouth open.

"Torres" Christina calls over the wail of the siren. "Torres, what?" I speak but the words are inaudible. Christina comes closer. "Torres!"

My voice comes out as a breathless whisper. "Ari…Arizona."


	40. Chapter 40

"Fuck" Christina whispered as she ran into the hospital, intent on telling the other's that their new patient is a VIP. Callie stood alone in the parking lot before she noticed another team of doctors throwing on sterile gowns and gloves. Their actions seemed to be in slow motion and her ears couldn't pick up what they were saying. The only sound that she could hear was the distant wail of another approaching siren. Motionless for several seconds, Callie tried to convince herself that the blonde on the stretcher was not her fiancé, that it was not the love of her life. Her chest rose and fell quickly as she processed what was happening and another ambulance screeched to a halt beside her. The second team of doctors and interns rushed past her to assess another patient.

"Female early 30s. MVA. No airbag deployment. Side impact. Deep head lac but alert and oriented."

"ARIZONA!" the patient called, ripping her oxygen mask from her face. Stronger gloved hands replaced the mask but she shook her head free. "ARIZONA, HELP ARIZONA. I AM FINE!" As the second stretcher was rolled past the standing Latina, she lowered her eyes to the beautiful face of the prone woman. "Help her…. Please!" the woman's voice pleaded. Callie saw the pleading in her eyes.

Arizona's POV

*FUCK* God that fucking hurts. I feel people prodding and poking every part of me. A sharp pain in my right hand and I know that an IV has been started. I feel hands on my face. It burns. Must be assessing cuts. I feel two gloved fingers open my left eye but when my eyelids part, all I see is the bright light of a penlight. The doctor does the same thing to me right eye. "Open your fucking eyes, Arizona. You are ok!" I tell myself. Instead I focus on the words of those around me, wishing I could distinguish just one from the other. I feel something soft over my mouth and nose. It smells like plastic and when I feel the rush of air into my lungs I know that they have bagged me to keep me breathing. The pain is intense with each breath that they give me but nothing that I can't handle. I feel hands squeezing my legs up to my hips and pushing their fingers into my abdomen.

"Come on, Arizona" I hear a female's voice. "Come on." I can't tell who the voice is or understand why I can't just obey.

"Listen to her. Open your eyes. You are alive, you are fine. Show them. Open your eyes" My eyes betray me time after time.

"She has a gun. On her right side!" I hear someone call. I feel someone fumbling with my sidearm.

"Give it to me!" Callie? Was that Callie? Thank God.

Callie's POV

I rush into the room just in time to see a resident cutting the shirt off of my fiancé. Her white button down now hung loosely over her chest, still tucked in to the black skirt. She has on no shoes and there are cuts covering every inch of her small body.

"She has a gun. On her right side!" I hear a nervous call from an intern. She begins pulling at the weapon awkwardly.

"You are going to fucking kill someone" I cut in. "Give it to me." I take the small Glock in my hands and expertly release the magazine, racking the slide to remove the live round from the chamber. "She has another one on her left thigh, give it to me." Bailey looks at me quizzically. "Bailey the weapon. Pull her skirt up." Bailey does so and I find a thigh strap holding another small weapon to her skin. I take one second to look at the soft, fair skin that I have come to know so well. I place my palm just above her knee and I feel tears collect in my eyes as I feel her lack of reaction to my touch. I quickly slide my hand upwards and release the strap so that I can free the weapon, clearing it like the other. Both weapons, both magazines, and both live rounds are put into my jacket pocket.

"Torres, out of here. Now."

"The fuck I am, Bailey. Don't even try." My eyes never leave my partner on the bed.

"Then against the wall."

"Bailey don't start right now, ok? I am not going anywhere and you know it. Just fix her." I assess Arizona from the bottom up. No obvious leg breaks. No one said anything about her hips and they aren't stabilizing so I assume that she doesn't have any breaks, that they can tell yet. I look at her exposed abdomen, looking for rigidity or distension, but it looks perfect, just like always. I see the bruising across her chest and lower abdomen. Seatbelt. Good girl. As my eyes travel upward toward her face, I see a large gash starting at her cheek bone, crossing both lips, and ending just before her chin. It's bad. "Page Mark!" I scream at one of the nurses. "Mark Sloan." Just above the deep gash I see swelling of her left orbit. The circular bone surrounding her eye is much more swollen than the other. I take my gloved hand and push lightly on the area. I feel grinding under my fingertips. It is broken. "And Shepard!" I scream toward the same nurse at the phone. I lower my head just inches from her own. "Oh baby… what have you done?"

Arizona's POV

That smell. I would know that smell anywhere. Callie. I feel her close and I try to move my hands toward her but of course they don't move. I hear her scream for Mark. Fuck that hurt! I remind myself to kick whoever's ass that just touched my fucking eye. I then hear her scream again. I hear the fear in her voice and her tone is louder and more frantic than I have heard in a long time.

"You come back, Arizona. You wake up. Now! You wake up for me. Wake up for Sophia. God Sophia…." Callie's voice trails off. It sounds so sad. Pleading. I can't believe that I am the one causing her this pain. I am supposed to be the one to save her. To heal her. She is crying. Over me. All of the pain in my body is growing, getting more intense. I try to force a breath into my lungs of my own accord in between squeezes of the bag. God it hurts so bad. Just do it Arizona. You have been through worse. Just do it. One more final attempt and the air rushes into my lungs sending a blinding pain through my chest and stomach. The bitter copper taste is back and I can feel it spew from my mouth as my lungs protest my act.

"She is breathing! Bailey!" I hear Callie's voice. That beautiful voice that I have fallen in love with time and time again. The fear in her voice was not as noticeable as before. Until I felt the bag move from my face.

"Is that blood coming from her chest?"

"Damnit… Prep an OR!"

Callie's POV

God Arizona, baby, pull through. I lean in close to her and plead for her to come back to me. To our baby. Oh god. Sophia. Arizona you have to come back. She will not make it without you. I tell my fiancé's lifeless form to fight for us. I lower my head to within inches of hers. Breathe baby, just breathe. I take the bag out of Teddy's hands and push two gusts of air into her lungs. Breathe. I watch as her diaphragm spasms, she is trying. Come on, breathe. I lean in close to her ear trying to will her body to respond and she does it. She takes a breath in between the ones I am giving her. Her chest expands as she inhales sharply. I swiftly move the bag from her mouth. "She is breathing! Bailey!" I have truly never felt so relieved in my life. It is short lived, however, when her tiny frame is racked with sputters and coughs. Blood spews from her mouth and onto the mask and my glove which still rest right above her face. Bailey sees the blood and puts her stethoscope to her chest. I look at Bailey. "Is that blood coming from her chest?" Bailey's eyes never meet mine as she rips the stethoscope from Arizona's chest and slings it over her neck.

"Damnit… Prep an OR!"

No. They wheel the stretcher out of the room and I am left in the aftermath. There is blood soaked cloths covering the floor, plastic wrappers that were discarded from all of the tubes and tools. I look out of the door as the stretcher disappears into the elevator. So fixated on that vision, I miss Mark coming into the room.

"Torres, where is she?" I look at his wide eyes and concerned face. Dropping the bag to the floor and pulling off my gloves I try to answer.

"O…OR" My voice cracks. He pulls me into a tight hug and asks me something what happened. I choose not to answer, knowing that if I talk I will break. "Please get Sophia from school. She needs to be here when Arizona wakes up."

"I don't think that's a good idea. If it goes bad… I'm not letting her see that."

"If it goes bad you can take her. Arizona needs her here, Mark. Just get her." Mark does as I ask him. Knowing that it will be at least 20 minutes until he is back, I walk to my locker and deposit Arizona's two sidearms into my locked cabinet. She is awake. The thought floods back to me. If she opens her eyes and I am not there….. I turn on my heels and run to the elevator. The doors don't open nearly as fast as I need them to so I abandon the steel doors and run to the stairs. I look in three windows on the OR floor and find them either empty or filled with personnel that is not Arizona's. In OR 4 I find them. They have not started sedation, only getting an x-ray of her chest and Teddy is running a sonogram on her heart and abdomen, quickly looking for any source of a bleed. I burst through the scrub room door and rip off my trauma gown. Scrubbing in as quickly and as thoroughly as possible, I slip on another gown and glove myself. I walk into the room where I am immediately donned with a mask and a cap from a scrub nurse. I stand right next to Bailey before being berated for being in the room. The look I give her silences her.

"Well I have good news and bad news people. Which do you want first?" My heart stops.


	41. Chapter 41

**Sorry about the cliffhanger last time. My reviews are dying down…. Hope you guys are still enjoying the story!**

"The good news." Bailey says glancing in my direction. "What is the good news."

Teddy looks at Bailey and I can see her smile under her mask. "Good news is, the blood is only coming from a punctured lung. That is the only internal bleeding that we have, barring a head CT. But her pulse is steady and she is breathing on her own so I don't think that that is an issue unless it's a slow bleed which can be fixed." I sigh and feel my whole body go limp at the release of the air.

"And the bad?" I ask, re-preparing myself by tightening my jaw and tightening my stomach, a defense mechanism that I have learned from my fiancé over the years.

"The bad is that she does need surgery for the rib that punctured her lung. She also has an orbital fracture which will need to be repaired and she will have some scarring on her face." Her face. Her beautiful face. "But nothing that Sloan can't minimize." I stare at my future wife on the table, still limp. I watch the rise and fall of her chest.

"She is stable though, right? For now?" I am surprised by my question. I look for reassurance even though I see it on the table in front of me.

"She will be alright, Callie." I hear Teddy's comforting words but nothing eases my racing mind. "We need to get her sedated and tube her. Why don't you come talk to her before we do?" I gingerly walk to the table and find the hand of the love of my life. I slip my fingers underneath hers, being careful of the needle and IV line. I bring my other hand to her face. Her beautiful battered face. I make sure not to touch around her eye or cut, not wanting to cause her any more pain than she is already in. I look at Teddy as several tears escape my eyes. She nods her head and motions to the anesthesiologist who comes to my side and inserts the syringe of sedation into the port on her IV. I lower my head to hers, pulling off the straps that keep my surgical mask in place. As it hangs around my neck I touch her face with the back of my hands.

"You are going to be ok, baby. You will be fine. I promise. I will be with you the whole time." I hear Bailey clear her throat behind me, protesting my statement. Ignoring her intrusion, I place a lingering kiss on my wife's unscathed cheek. My tears fall onto her pale face. Another kiss and I pull myself away from the table. Looking to Bailey I ask her to allow me to operate, knowing what her answer will be. "Ok then, just let me stay, ok? Just let me be in the room."

"Callie. Arizona is in good hands. You have someone else who needs you." She looks up to the gallery and my eyes follow. I spot a wide-eyed Mark standing at the window holding our baby girl. He has her head pulled into his shoulder, ensuring that her eyes cannot find who lies on the table. My heart breaks seeing their position. He never shielded her like that before. Arizona always had, from scary movies, from loud noises, from harsh glares of people who could never understand our relationship. But Mark never had. And it dawns on me that he learned how to protect from the one person who needs to be protected now. I turn to Bailey. "We are watching from the gallery. Keep her face covered. If I talk through the intercom do not say her name." Bailey opens her mouth to protest. "Pl….please Miranda. That is my life on the table. She is in your hands. And she needs us close. Sophia is the light of her life." Tears again form in my eyes. "You have no idea what they mean to each other. Just keep her face covered. When Mark needs to stitch her up we will leave. Do this for me, ok?" Bailey glares at me hard before dropping her eyes and shaking her head. I motion for Mark to leave the gallery so that Arizona's breathing tube can be inserted. I listen to the steady heart monitors and reclaim my position by Arizona's bed, trying to comfort her for the last seconds that I am able. A male doctor places his left hand under her chin as he positions her for the tube. I avert my gaze and focus on Arizona's rising chest. "I love you, sweetheart. You will be ok. Sleep well." I place a soft kiss on her cheek and another on her forehead as the doctor hooks her tube to the respirator. I walk to the door and enter the scrub room without looking back. I strip myself of my surgical mask, gown, cap, and gloves and take another look through the window. A drape is now covering Arizona's chest and Teddy is sterilizing her incision site. "I love you."

As I walk toward the gallery the voices and machines are muffled. I am lost in my own despair and silently try to come up with the words to tell Sophia. I was never really good at this kind of stuff. A small smile crosses my lips as I think of how well Arizona always handled it.

"_Sophia? Sophia what's wrong baby?" I call after her as she rushes into the apartment and heads straight for our bedroom. I look to Arizona on the sofa who has peeked her head over the back and is looking at me wide-eyed. Her eyes follow the three year old and she and I both dart after her. We find that Sophia has flung herself dramatically on our bed and has her face buried in her hands, crying. "Baby, talk to Mami, what happened?" She says nothing. I stroke her hair, trying to coax it out of her. "Sweetie, what happened?" Nothing again. I look to Arizona who smiles sweetly and moves to sit near my daughter. _

"_Soph, baby, do you want to tell me what happened?" Sophia keeps her head buried in her hands. Arizona gingerly reaches down and pulls the tiny girl into her arms. Sophia is sitting sideways on Arizona's legs and her head is in her shoulder. "Come on sweetheart, it can't be anything that we can't fix. So come on, out with it munchkin!" Arizona softly digs her finger into Sophia's ribs, tickling her. Sophia bends her body to the side and snorts. "Tell me what's going on. Do I need to arrest someone? Take them downtown for hurting my baby?" I cannot see Sophia's face but I assume that she smiled because I can see Arizona melt before my eyes. "You are such a pretty girl when you smile, you know that? So come on… Who do I need to slap the cuffs on?"_

"_Daddy." Arizona looks to me. I shrug my shoulders. _

"_What did Daddy do, baby?"_

"_He said… He…." Sophia's body is overcome with tears. _

"_Baby tell me" Arizona says. I make my way toward the door intent on killing one Mark Sloan for whatever he did to my baby. Sophia looks toward Arizona tears falling fast from her eyes._

"_Momma…. You not… my real momma like Mami is?" Sophia's voice is broken but I can hear the painful question. Arizona slowly raises her eyes to me and I can see that she is hurting. Mark Sloan will definitely die. Painfully. And soon. I open my mouth to speak but of course I am cut off by the blonde. _

"_I wanted to talk to you about that, munchkin. You got time? Any hot dates with boys that I need to work around?" Arizona tries to joke but they are lost on the devastated child. "Ok. Well you know how you have black hair, just like your Mami? And your eyes are real dark like hers, too?" Sophia shakes her head which is still buried in Arizona's arm. "Well that is because you grew in Mami's belly and you get a lot of those things from her. That's why you are so cute! You didn't grow in Momma's belly, sweetheart. You couldn't. Mami already had you in hers! And when I met your Mami you were already out of her belly. And I was jealous, you know why?" Sophia's dark eyes met deep blue. "Because she got to play with you for so long before I did! " Arizona's voice dropped and she leaned in close to Sophia. "One day you will understand, baby. You didn't grow in Momma's belly and I wasn't there when you were born. But I will always be your Momma. And I love you so much." She kissed Sophia on the forehead and I savored the moment watching how well she treated my daughter, our daughter. "And people will say mean things to you. And they will say meaner things when you get older. But you know what I want you to remember?"_

"_What momma?"_

"_That God thought you are so special that he gave you a whole other Momma to play with… and kiss you… and tickle you… and do all that other fun stuff that we like to do. So what do you say? How about you go tell Daddy you aren't mad at him anymore…. It would make him feel good. He just made a booboo sweetie, he didn't mean to make you cry." Sophia reluctantly got up. She was pulled back in by her Momma who gave her a tight hug and a kiss on her forehead. She dug her fingers in her ribs again for good measure causing Sophia to squirm and squeal. As Sophia ran by me I scooped her up and kissed her on her cheek, patting her behind as I set her down. I watched her as she flung the door open and ran straight into Mark's apartment via his open door. I turned my eyes back to Arizona who had dropped her head._

"_Baby… you were…. Amazing. You didn't have to do that" I told her._

"_Yes I did." I knowingly shake my head._

"_Well you certainly didn't have to be so nice about Mark."_

"_I am not pitting your daughter against her father. Besides. I don't want him to think I am mad. It will create an element of surprise when I fucking kill him."_

I wear a smile as I relive the memory, thinking about having to hold Arizona back as she lashed out at Mark. The most amazing thing was, she never mentioned herself. She never told Mark that he hurt her. She was fighting for Sophia. She was angry because he hurt Sophia. Turned out that Mark didn't know that Sophia was in the room when he was explaining our relationship to a new daycare provider. We couldn't fault him. His intentions were to foot the extra money to get her into a private daycare with less children and more teachers. After Arizona threatened to cut off every vital body part and hide them in various locations across Seattle, Mark was more careful about his telephone disclosures.

I finally meet Mark and Sophia outside the gallery door. Sophia is animatedly talking with her father who is distant and worried looking. I reach my arms out to take my daughter and hug her as she excitedly recognizes me.

"Mami… why is I here?"

"It's why AM I here, baby…."

"Ooohhh…. Why AM I here?" Sophia mocks.

I stare at her innocent brown eyes and wrap her in my arms. "Just wanted to spend some time with you, baby girl. How about we go in this neat room, I need to talk to you, ok?"


	42. Chapter 42

I would know her smell anywhere. I feel warm breath on my face and the touch of fingers caressing my skin. I revel in her closeness but curse my eyes for not opening to see her. I demand my hand to touch her and bring comfort but I am not surprised by their betrayal. Separate hands pull my chin upward and I feel cold metal in my mouth. Callie's words are fading.

"_Sophia, baby, we need to be quiet while Momma is resting, ok?" Callie's soft words bring me out of my slumber. I look around the familiar hospital room and find my wife in the rocking chair with Sophia in her lap. Four arms are stretched out. A sleeping infant in their arms. My content sigh fills the air and Callie's eyes shoot up to find mine. A sweet smile crosses her face. "Soph, hop down, sweetie. Let's take Timmy to see Momma." I smile as Sophia looks to me, eyes wide as she sees that I am awake. She eagerly jumps out of Callie's lap and runs to me, throwing her arms over the side of my bed in a makeshift hug. I place my hand on her back and lean in to kiss her head. _

"_You awake!" she exclaims. _

"_I am, pretty girl. How is little brother over there? Being good?"_

"_I don't think he likes me. I tried to tickle him and he doesn't laugh." I smile at 6 year old Sophia's rationalizations and reassure her. Callie walks to my bed, bouncing with every step. She leans in and kisses my cheek, lowering her arms to the bed so I can take another look at our new baby boy. I pull the soft blue blanket from around his face and rub the soft skin there. Callie watches me as I watch our newborn._

"_He is perfect" I whisper to no one in particular._

"_He sure is" Callie confirms. "I am so proud of you."_

_I smile and softly pull her upper arm so that she leans in closer to me. I place a kiss on her lips and she smiles under my mouth. "Nothing you haven't already done before."_

"_But I wasn't nearly as beautiful as you were while I was doing it" I laugh softly at her joke. "Our little family just got a whole lot bigger." Callie motions to the sleeping infant in her arms and then to Sophia. "You sure you're ready for this?"_

"_Never been more sure in my life."_

_XXX_

"_Timmy, calm down, son. We are almost done" Callie places a hand on our son's bouncing knee as he becomes restless in the chair._

"_Mom... I am hungry! Tell Soph to hurry up!" _

"_Alright, buddy. Just a few more minutes, ok?" I call to him from the dressing room. Turning my attention back to the sixteen year old in front of me, I take in her form and her mother's beauty. It nearly makes my heart stop. "She is going to love this one. What do you think? The color looks amazing, sweetie. I think we found the one." With a reassuring nod from the young woman in front of me, we open the door. "Alright, Cal, be warned. She doesn't look like our baby girl anymore." Sophia steps out of the dressing room in a dark red, flowing, strapless gown atop two and a half inch black heels. My eyes keep watch on Callie as she sees her daughter in the dress, the one that she will wear to her first prom. I smile as I watch Callie stand from her chair and walk toward her daughter, tears flowing freely. Callie allows herself to cry so much more now that we have children. It seems that every milestone, every sweet letter or word, every memory is met with tears of joy. She takes her daughter in her arms and whispers words that I cannot hear. _

_Sophia addresses her little brother. "What do you think, Tim?"_

"_Yuck!" he retorts. Sophia has thick skin like her mother and without a word she picks up a hanger and tosses it his direction. "Just joking, Soph. It is pretty. I like it." Sophia looks to Callie and shakes her head at her tears, looking to me. I step closer to my wife and rub small circles on her back. Smiling at our not-so-little girl I answer her unspoken question. _

"_Perfect."_

_XXX_

_Callie and I have been silent the most of the morning, neither knowing what to say to the other to ease the pain. She walks past me with a large box in her arms, tear tracks littering her sullen face. I put the last items into a separate box and tape the top, hoisting it up and walking the same direction that Callie traveled. I load the box onto the rear of the truck and slam the tailgate. "That's the last of it." _

"_Awesome. Thanks mom. I have to get going, but I promise to call you both as soon as I get everything unpacked. And I will be back this weekend." Both Callie and I nod, not being able to find the words to tell our baby boy goodbye. 18 year old Timmy wraps me in a tight hug, something that he learned from Callie that has always comforted me. I breathe in his cologne and wrap my arms around his back. As he pulls away he kisses my cheek. "I love you. I will call you soon." I see him repeat the same acts with my wife but I avert my gaze, not being able to watch her sadness. Our son all-too-eagerly jumps into the driver's seat of his truck and fires it up. He waves out the window and drives off. We watch until his truck turns off of our street and wrap each other in a hug. _

"_We don't have any more babies, Arizona."_

"_We do, sweetheart. They are just grown up babies now. He will be ok. I promise."_

"_I know. We have just spent the last 24 years raising children. Now he gets this bright idea that he wants to grow up and get a job and go to college. No one told me that when he was still in diapers. I might have never potty trained him had I known this was to come." Callie hears me laugh and pulls back with a tear stained face but wearing a smile. _

"_I am so proud of what you have done with them. Sophia is amazing, top of her class. Tim is going to med school. How did I get so lucky to have you all as my family?"_

_Callie smiles and rests her forehead against mine. She takes my left hand in her right. "Come on. I see a lot of pizza and donuts in our immediate future." We turn and walk back toward our home hand in hand. "I love you, you know?"_

"_I know Cal. I love you, too."_

Callie's POV

"Why are we watching the doctors, Mami?" my daughter asks, eyes staring at the surgeons moving about the table.

"Well I wanted to spend some time with you but I am still working, so Ms. Bailey let me just watch this surgery so I could still hang out with my favorite girl!" I nudge my daughter and try to make my voice sound as calm and as happy as possible. I see Sophia concentrating on what she is seeing, glancing down, I make sure that Arizona's face is covered. I watch Teddy make the first cut and see the blood pour out of Arizona's chest. Knowing that Sophia's unskilled eye is not able to see what I see but still feeling guilty about my decision to have her present, I turn her body around to face me. Her eyes immediately sense fear in my face and she reacts by widening her eyes. "Soph, I have some bad news, ok?" I glance over her shoulder and see Teddy inserting the tube into my fiancé's chest. Teddy looks calm which calms me. Turning back to Sophia…"Baby Momma was in an accident earlier today and she hurt herself." I see Sophia's breath quicken but she makes no attempt to speak. "She got in a car crash and hurt her head and her side." I check the progress of the tube. "But she will be ok. Alright? The doctors are fixing her up and she will be ok. I promise."

"Is she coming home tonight?" My daughter asks. I shake my head no. "Can we go see her?" I shake my head no again.

"Not right now, sweetheart. She isn't fixed up yet. But the doctors are trying real hard, ok?"

Sophia studies my face for several moments. Her eyebrows draw together as she processes what I have said. "Did she cry?" Sophia's words caught me off guard.

"Uh… no baby. She didn't cry. You momma is tough, ya know."

"I tough too. So I wont cry" I see Sophia's chin quiver and it breaks my heart.

"Baby… you can cry. Just because Momma didn't cry doesn't mean that you can't. If you are scared or sad then it's ok to show it. I was sad when it happened and I cried." Sophia tried to keep her tears at bay, wanting to be strong as Arizona had always taught her. Seeing my daughter's silent struggle broke my resolve and I broke into tears, not wiping them away, wanting Sophia to know that she is not alone in her fears. Her mouth formed a small frown as her dark brown eyes filled. She lowered her head and I pulled her close to me, sitting her on my lap and holding her head into my shoulder. I held her close as the emotions took over her small body, keeping an eye on the progress that my team was making. I stare intently for several minutes before seeing Teddy's eyes rise to meet mine. She nods her head and I can see her smile under her mask. Good sign. The doors on the opposite side of the room open and Mark enters, already scrubbed in. He looks to me then speaks with Teddy and Bailey. I quickly look to all of Arizona's monitors looking for impending trouble.

"Can you tell Momma I prayed for her?" Sophia's sudden words startle me and she looks into my eyes worried. "Can you tell her? She helps me pray for you and daddy at night, but I said a prayer for her. Can you tell her?" Four years and I never knew of these prayers. Not that I am surprised. Arizona and Sophia's time was special to them and their secrets were safe with each other.

"I'll tell her baby. Promise." She lowers her head back to my shoulder. I lean toward the wall and hit the intercom. "I need an update, guys." Bailey answers.

"We were just rock, paper, scissoring over who tells you the news." My eyes stay locked on Bailey's, when she doesn't speak I cock my head to the side trying to draw and answer out of her.

"She did perfect, Dr. Torres. She is going to be fine."


	43. Chapter 43

Arizona's POV

Lilacs. I smell lilacs. And open air. And there is sun. My eyes are closed but I feel the warm sun on my face. A slight breeze wafts more lilac scented air in my direction. Stretching my head back and my arms to my sides, I feel soft earth underneath me. I grasp blades of grass in my hands and let them slide through my fingers. Birds chirping in the distance catches my ear and I listen. There is at least three of them. And trees, I hear them rustling just after I feel another gust of air rush over me. The feeling causes a smile to play at my lips and I sigh contently. I could get used to this. I hear the soft noise of flapping wings and the chirping is becoming more distant. I immediately miss the sound. I lay in silence for a few more seconds and am surprisingly not startled when I feel a soft nudge on my bare foot. I open my eyes slowly and look toward my feet and see a small fawn grazing by my legs. I marvel at her light brown fur spotted with small patches of white. She takes a mouthful of grass and I see her bottom jaw slowly moving as she locks eyes with me. I smile at the serene view and the miraculous animal drops her head and touches my foot again with her nose. I slowly sit up, careful not to frighten her. I pull my legs underneath me and reach my hand out, palm up, to allow the animal to adjust to my new position. Without hesitation the young animal nudged the back of my hand. I turn my hand over and run my fingers along the soft fur of her head. I give her a fur quick playful tousle and she reciprocates by playfully lowering her chest to the ground and straightening her front legs in front of her, her hind quarters still in the air. I laugh and the animals playfully raises one hoof and lets it fall to the earth below. She wants to play. The animal lets her rear legs collapse and she falls gracefully to a laying position in front of me. I stretch to pet the beautiful fawn again and she nuzzles into my hand before rising to her four legs. Something catches my eye in the distance. In the clearing of the trees, I see a large doe emerge, eyes in my direction. From behind her another fawn emerges, larger than the curious one enamored with my hand. The doe takes several steps in my direction, rustling leaves with her slow movements. My gaze focuses back on my friend and I see her ears perk and point backward, hearing the movement behind her. Her head darts quickly toward her mother and before I know it she is awkwardly galloping to her. My heart swells watching their interaction. My fawn nuzzles under her mother's neck while the doe's eyes are still locked on me. She then drops her head and nudges the small animal playfully. She responds by dropping her chest to the earth again. The larger fawn does the same and the two animals commence to play and chase each other. I am lost in the sight. But before I know it, the three are gone. I lower myself back to the ground, letting the sun warm the skin of my face. I begin to take a deep breath but it is cut off by a searing pain in my side. I clutch at the affected area and try to find the source but I see nothing. I raise my shirt. Nothing. Aagghhh. Another sharp pain. I clutch my side. I try to control my breathing but the pain comes in short bursts, completely taking my breath away. "Arizona." I hear the faint word. I pry my eyes open to search for the one responsible but see nothing. Another sharp pain grounds me. "Arizona." My name is louder. I try to answer even though I see no one but the pain keeps me from forming the words. Another sharp pain causes a cry to escape my lips. "Arizona. Baby…." Callie. Callie where are you? Another intense pain and another cry. Callie! The words won't sound. "Baby…." I squeeze my eyes tight praying to hear her voice again. Callie. "Arizona. Sweetheart. Wake up." I squeeze my eyes tighter yet, seeing colors and shapes behind my closed lids. Callie.

Callie's POV

Arizona's surgery was a success. The chest tube allowed her lung to re-inflate and the fractured rib was set. Teddy covered her torso with several layers of binding with a hard plaster piece covering the incision site on top of the fracture. Mark took over the work on my beautiful blonde's face. The gash required two layers of stitches and she had various butterfly closures on the other smaller lacerations which didn't require sutures. Mark, Derrick, and Bailey worked on Arizona's broken orbit. Derrick determined that no brain swelling or other injuries were sustained due to the break. Mark cut Arizona's beautiful face right above her brow line and Bailey set the bone in place for optimum healing. Luckily Mark was able to close that wound with the use of glue and not stitches. She would be upset enough with the scars that would be left on the rest of her face. Mark ensured, however, that after she healed he would be able to revise the scars through dermabrasion. He would literally have to sand her scars down so that they are not raised and discolored. It is painful, and I feel it unnecessary. But Arizona will surely want as much done as possible, especially since we have yet to take wedding photos. Sophia has handled the news of Arizona's accident as well as can be expected. We made it through the surgery without her realizing who was on the table. She fell asleep minutes after we talked about her prayer. Not even close to her nap time, I know that the stress had taken a toll and I thanked God that she was able to sleep. After the surgery on Arizona's lung they moved her to another room for Mark and the others to assess her face. I stayed in the gallery watching the clean-up and holding my baby girl while she slept. As I looked at her face I saw Arizona. Not physically, I know that she had nothing to do with her conception. But I saw Arizona in who my daughter had become. Her manners, her mannerisms, her zest, she was as much her as me. And even though I felt it impossible to love my daughter any more than I already did, I did in that moment. I fell in love with who my fiancé helped me create. Her personality, her laugh, her sensitivity, her sweetness, it was all Arizona. And she fit into the Robbins family like she was their blood. I was lost in the moment, could have been minutes, could have been hours, but in that moment it was just me and God. Thanking Him. Questioning Him. Talking to Him. I didn't get any answers but what I did get was relief. I nuzzled my sleeping daughter for several minutes, breathing in her innocence and the faint smell of her shampoo which Arizona insisted we buy because Sophia loved the colorful bottle. A page from Mark let me know that Arizona was stitched up. I slowly raised myself from the seat and readjusted Sophia in my arms, heading to my fiancé's room. As I entered I said a silent thank you that Arizona's breathing tube had already been removed and she was breathing on her own.

"Her sedation has been lowered so she should be coming out of it in the next hour." Bailey startled me, sitting by the door completing Arizona's chart.

"Thanks."

"She is going to be in a lot of pain, Callie. We will start her on a Morphine drop after she wakes up and we asses her neuro. But I don't see any reason to believe that it won't be normal." I give Bailey another thank you and walk to the bedside. I realize that I can't touch her with Sophia in my arms so I just sit. Bailey exits the room and I am alone with the two sleeping loves of my life. I open my mouth to talk to Arizona but don't really have the words. I am shortly interrupted anyway by Bailey rolling an object into the room. She wheels it right next to me and opens it. A cot. "Put that baby down and let her sleep." I smile and do as she says. I cover my daughter with my lab coat and sit again by Arizona's bed. I take her hand in mine. It is her left one so it has some damage. Cuts and bruises which are already forming. She had a butterfly closure on the back of her hand right near her wrist. I run my hand across it. I put my head down softly on her arm, missing the door open again. My eyes open when I hear a soft voice from the doorway.

"This is kind of surreal. Odd in fact." I look up to find Lexie in the doorway, hands in her lab coat, rocking between her toes and heels. "Sorry. Just, I watched her do this same exact thing a few years ago. The tears, the talking, the waiting." I am confused at first but as she continues talking I know that she is referring to my accident.

"After my crash."

"She was here tirelessly. Each time she came into this room she looked more weathered than before but… when she came out… it's like she was a new woman. The first night she stayed, I was here. I watched her from the window, amazed. How she looked at you. How she touched you. How she tensed when you moved. It was probably the most beautiful thing I have ever seen…. Until now." My eyes cloud with tears thinking about that fateful day. "I so love being in your family Callie. I do. Not just because I am with Mark, either. Ya know, some people have a hard time with the whole… ya know… gay thing. And I had never really given it much thought. Didn't really have friends that were gay. Wasn't that experienced with it. And then I was thrown into it with Mark. And Arizona came along and I was weary. I was concerned at how Sophia would react, what it would be like for her growing up with a lesbian mom. But I feel so stupid now. For even questioning it." My tears now fall freely. I hear Lexie's words but my eyes are focused on my future wife. "If my mother and father were half the parent that you alone are to Sophia, I would have never needed anything more. And then to add Arizona and her love on top of that. Well… I can't believe that the thought even crossed my mind that it wasn't right. Sophia loves you two so much. And so equally. Mark is right when he says that she talks about you two continuously. Even in her sleep!" I smile and look at the red head through tear filled eyes. "I know I am rambling. I just want to tell you… I am so lucky to have modeled for me what you and Arizona have modeled. I only hope to have with Mark a fraction of what you have with her. I only hope to raise a child that is a fraction of what Sophia is and will become. You have done good, Callie. And you picked the right one. I knew from the first time I saw her asking nurses for you that she was special. That she would be good for you. And she hasn't proven me wrong. Not once." Lexie's words touch a place in my heart that I never expected. I kissed the sleeping blonde's hand and lowered it back to her bed before crossing the room and taking Lexie into my arms. I was surprised when I heard a soft cry. "It just isn't fair, ya know? It isn't fair that she is the one in the bed. With all those bad people out there, the ones that she worked for so long to put away so that we would be safer…. Why is it her in the bed? I think I need her around just as much as you do." This statement was followed with a tearful laugh. I pulled back and looked at my best friend's girlfriend.

"Thank you, Lex. Really." I pull her in for another hug. "We are just as lucky to have you." Lexie gives me a tearful smile and leaves the room as quickly as she came in. I watch her through the window as she wipes her eyes and straightens her coat, going about her day just as before. I turn back to the bed and take my seat. I keep an ear out for Sophia and a watchful eye over Arizona. Sophia turns over a few times and snores softly, making do with the uncomfortable cot. At first I think it is a product of tired eyes and staring that makes me see a flutter in Arizona's eyes. But as I continue to watch I see it again. Her fingers jump in my hands, a sign of her impending consciousness. Not wanting her to be scared when she wakes, I talk to her to bring her out of her slumber. "Arizona." Her eyes flutter and I see movement under her lids. She takes a sharp breath but lets it out slowly. Her forefinger squeezes my fingers. "Arizona" I try again, moving my other hand to her battered face, pushing hair away from her forehead. "Arizona. Baby….." My heart breaks when the blonde's face contorts in pain. Her unheld hand reaches for her side but falls short and lands back on the bed. "Baby…" This time Arizona's hand makes it to her side and she grabs at her flesh, scraping her nails against the plaster and binding wrap. "Arizona. Sweetheart. Wake up." Arizona's eyes flutter quickly and I catch a glimpse of bright blue underneath. I smile, hoping that my face is the first thing she sees when she opens them for good. I caress her face and her eyes lazily drift open. Her beautiful blue eyes lock with mine and I am entranced. "Hey baby. Did you have a nice nap?" The blonde tries to speak but her voice comes out scratchy and she clears her throat, causing obvious discomfort. I grab the cup of water and straw from the table and allow her to drink. She nods slowly, thanking me. "Baby… you were in a crash. Do you remember?" She nods her head yes. "Are you hurting?" She nods again. "Ok, let me get Bailey, ok? We are going to start you on a drip to help the pain." Her hand clenches mine as I try to move toward the door. I lean in close to her when I see her lips moving. "What is it, sweetie…. Tell me."

"I'm ss..sorry." I silence her words with a finger to her lips, followed by my own.

"It isn't your fault. Just let me get the medicine to help the pain, ok? I will be right back, I swear." She takes my hand again.

"S..so…Sophia?" I swear she loves that kid more than me.

"She is right here. On the cot by your bed." Arizona's eyes try to find her but she can't see her without sitting up. She gives me a nod and I place another kiss to her lips, another to her forehead, and a third to the bandage covering the nasty gash. A tear falls from her eye being absorbed by the gauze on her cheek. "You are gonna be ok, alright? Everything is fine. I will be right back." Bailey enters the room right behind me a few seconds later. She runs a few tests on Arizona's neuro function which all seem to be fine. Bailey starts the morphine and leaves us again. I hold my fiancé's hand as the morphine takes effect and she falls back into slumber. I kiss her periodically, reminding her that I am still here. And I think about Lexie's words. Maybe I finally got it right.


	44. Chapter 44

Arizona's POV

It hurts. Everything hurts. Still. My ribs, my face, my chest. It all hurts. Like a bitch. Callie has been by my side every minute since I was brought in here. Seeing her tired eyes and messy hair guilts me into telling her to go home, to get rest, to shower, to eat. But she won't. I knew that she wouldn't even before I told her. She has been amazing through all of this. Unwavering. Unfaltering. And I have never needed someone more. Just the sight of her in the chair next to me is calming. It eases the pain. It makes me want to heal faster. She was with me, holding my hand when I fell asleep, a possessive hand on my right leg. I asked her incessantly to lay with me but she refused, saying she didn't want to hurt me. She has been more careful with me than normal. More distant, perhaps? Up until this morning. I had noticed a change in the way she looked at me. The way she touched me. It is always with care but she seemed to avoid my left side. The Ortho God has never shied away from an injury. She has never been anything less than intrigued by an injury. But mine were different. She was reluctant, scared perhaps to touch me, to assess my progress. My surgery was three days ago and I am beginning my third night in the hospital. I saw Sophia briefly the first night before Mark picked her up to bring her home. My cheek was still bandaged and I couldn't move much with the pain in my side so I had to talk to her from afar. She was distant but it is understandable. She gave me a kiss on my cheek before she hurried out of the room with Mark. I sleep most of the day, still on a lot of medication. But every time that I wake up a beautiful Latina has my hand in hers. Today was no different. What was different was the emotion in her eyes when mine met hers.

_I stir awake and before my eyes even open I feel her hands on me. Stroking my hair, running her fingers along my hand. Calming. My eyes open and immediately find hers above me. I blink several times trying to clear the haze. The cloud in her eyes is not washed away with mine. She has been crying. My throat is still scratchy so my voice comes out harsh and rough. I bring my right hand up and run my thumb softly across her eye lashes. I feel that they are still wet with tears. "What's this?" I ask, letting my hand ghost down the soft skin of her face. She drops her gaze from mine but I lift her chin to make eye contact. "Calliope…"_

She gives me a weak smile and grabs my hand, kissing my palm before placing it back on the bed but still holding it tight. "Just glad you are ok."

"You are a shitty liar." I smile at her and it is met by her own embarrassed smile. "Spill it, Dr. Torres." I get another smile, more radiant than the last. If there were anything left of my heart after she and her daughter take their share then it would have melted at the sight. Callie leans down and places another kiss on the back of my hand. Her left hand finds my right cheek and we lock eyes. I turn into her touch, seeking more warmth and comfort. As I expose my left side I feel, for the first time, her hands on my affected cheek. Her thumb ghosts over the bandage and her fingers wrap around my neck. I close my eyes. When I open them I see her eyes more cloudy than before, tears threatening to spill from their corners. She bites her bottom lip and looks questioningly into my eyes. I nod and a short time later I feel her fingers tugging at the tape keeping the bandage in place. She surveys my face for pain, which I do feel, but I keep my face neutral so as to not stop her. She completely removes the pad which she lays on the table next to me. I see a large rectangle white pad with tape on two sides of it. There is a large amount of dried blood running its length. Callie sees my eyes locked on the bandage and she swiftly throws it into the garbage on the side of the bed. I close my eyes again and breathe in Callie's intoxicating scent, moving closer to her body which hovers over me. Callie works to remove the last gauze which are not taped to my skin and her I hear a small gasp as she lifts the material. My eyes find hers which are locked on my stitched cheek. The cut is not jagged, it is a clean cut from my cheek bone to below my lips. It crosses both my upper and bottom lip which are the only pieces of skin not stitched. Glue and tape hold these edges together. A tear falls from Callie's eyes and lands in front of me on the bed. I gather the strength to speak…"Baby…" She shushes me immediately and her hands are tracing the outer edges of the gash. "Please…. Say something." More tears run down Callie's face and land on my sheets. A sudden feeling of complete exposure comes over me and I feel transparent. I feel too open, too vulnerable. I am unable to read why Callie is reacting so strongly and I shy away from her touch.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She whispers, holding my face in place as I try to move away from her touch.

"What, Callie. What is it?" My voice is shaky. Though I have not seen my face I have felt the pain emanating from it which has given me a good idea of its size. Mark also briefed me on his work when he came to pick up Sophia, telling me that 21 dissolvable stitches were required for the first layer and 25 regular sutures were required for the second. "Callie… Callie quit." I try to pull away from her grasp and my voice carries more than I intend it to.

"Sorry, baby. I'm sorry." Her eyes find mine and she cocks her head to the side as she sees the weary look on my face. "Sweetheart..."

"What?" My voice is harsh.

"Sweetheart…. I am so sorry."

My mind reels at what could cause her to apologize. "For what? Callie what's wrong? Why are you crying? It's only a face. The scar will fade. It can be airbrushed in pictures. There is make-up. Why are you crying?"

"I know. I know. It's not the scar. It's not the cut. I was…. I was just scared, Arizona. Ok? I was scared. Terrified. I watched you on the table. I kept waiting for the monitors to tell me that you were gone. I kept waiting for something to go wrong. It was…. Terrifying. All I could think about was losing you. And how much I needed you. How much I wanted you. How much I love you. You can't do that to me again." Tears fall harder down Callie's face. "Arizona, all those stupid fights, all my stupid shit, none of it mattered. The wedding list, Erica, the fights…they all seemed so…. So….ridiculous. So unimportant." As my eyes watched Callie speak I saw a fire in her eyes that I had not seen in a long time. Her voice dripped with passion. I reached my own hand up to wipe a tear from her eye and pull her down into an embrace. "I can't imagine my life without, Arizona. I don't want to. I had to imagine it when you were on that table and I can't do that again. I want a big house. A big wedding. I want your parents next door to us. I want 10 kids that look just like you. And I love you so much and I can't live without you and our 10 kids." Callie's voice broke as she sobbed into my shoulder. Her left hand still lay softly over my cheek. I gently kissed my fiancé's head and pulled her eyes up to mine.

"It's ok. Alright? I'm not going anywhere. I'm ok." She nodded her head slowly, tears still flowing down her face. "I love you, Cal. I'm not going anywhere." I pulled her lips down for a searing kiss. All the emotion that both of us felt in that moment was multiplied by our contact. My mouth muffled her sobs and she grasped my shoulders to pull me in as tight as possible. Moving onto my right side, I pat the sheets next to me, asking her to join. She shrugs off her coat and kicks off her shoes and sits on the bed facing me. She leans in and places a soft kiss on my left cheek and lays down facing me. My hand immediately finds her hip and my other hand takes hers between us. I kiss her again, and close my eyes. Within seconds her palm is flat on my left cheek. The softness of her hand only causes little pain which is eased as her thumb ghosts over the skin between my nose and the cut. "We are going to be, Calliope. I swear."  
>She doesn't answer but I feel her nod. I feel the wetness in my palm as her tears continue to fall. I remind myself that the tears are good. It is the only way that I will not keep myself up all night trying to stop them. We both sleep. Together. Our mere proximity a comfort to the other. Our war wounds would heal, some visible, some not. New wounds would be felt. But with her hand held tight in mine, there is not a wound in the world that I couldn't endure.<p> 


	45. Chapter 45

A/N Sorry about the long delay. Writer's block strikes again. As always, suggestions are appreciated. Kind of a short chapter. Hope you enjoy.

Callie's POV

We brought Arizona home yesterday. She is sleeping on the sofa. In the hospital I was able to fill up all of my spare time with reviewing charts or talking to the doctors. Now it's just me watching her sleep. She is still in a lot of pain, partly because she doesn't want to take her medicine like she should. I would fight her to take it but it usually entails me waking her up. And I would rather let her sleep and fight her when she wakes up. The house was filled with balloons and flowers and cards from her coworkers… the majority of them coming from Lucy who had stopped by several times to see her partner in the hospital. She became a comfort for Arizona and for me. Even through all of her own pain, she was still able to see Arizona everyday and bring her magazines and snacks. I am proud that Arizona has someone so protective of her while she is away from home. Arizona enjoyed the "Get Well Soon" gifts that adorned our home, but I know that she was embarrassed by them as well. She would much rather be thought of for her work or her accomplishments rather than an accident. She asked for Sophia before I even had her in the door. Telling her that our baby would be at Mark's house for a few days nearly broke her heart. The truth is that I would rather Sophia not be around, not until Arizona is feeling better. Sophia shies away from her right now because she is scared, and that will hurt Arizona more than anything. I make myself busy cleaning the spotless counters in the kitchen but I soon find myself staring at the back of the sofa thinking about the blonde on the other side. Slowly walking to her side, I kneel beside her and take her hand in mine. She stirs but doesn't wake. The large cut on her cheek remains uncovered so that the open air can help it heal. Slowly pulling the blanket away from her chest, I raise her shirt and check the scar from the procedure. It is healing. Her entire ribcage is covered with a dark bruise that is now starting to yellow around the edges. I resist the urge to run my fingers along the affected skin and pull Arizona's shirt down, replacing the blanket around her body. I give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I love you. I'll be back" I whisper to her sleeping form.

After a long glance over my shoulder, I close our door behind me, walking straight across the hall. I knock on the door and wait. A few second later I hear the quick sound of running feet and watch the door handle being turned back and forth. Sophia hasn't yet mastered the door knob. She is finally successful and swings the door open, a smile lighting her face when she sees me.

"Hey baby" I croon, kneeling to her level. She throws her arms around my neck and says her own hello. I begin to ask where her father is so that I can speak to him, but the little brunette cuts me off.

"You take me home?" She asks, pulling her face from my shoulder to look in my eyes.

"No sweetie, Momma is still not feeling good, she is sleeping. Maybe tomorrow." I watch her eyes drop to the floor and I expect an argument but she has her Momma's discipline. She nods her head, still looking at the floor. I spot Mark inside the apartment and give my little girl a kiss before walking past her to talk to him.

"Torres, what's up?" he asks walking toward the kitchen. He grabs a beer out of the fridge and walks back to me, cracking open the top and pushing it into my hand.

"Just wanted to get out of the house for a minute."

"How is she?"

"Sleeping." I know that my voice sounds sullen and I can't really put a reason to it. I am ecstatic that Arizona is home and that she is alright. Of course I am grateful of that. I just feel like I have been emotional for so long that I am crashing. I need to talk to Arizona and I need to fall apart, but I can't do that to her just yet. She needs me to be as strong as possible. Mark apparently takes note of my mood and motions for me to sit on the couch. He sits next to me and pulls me into his side, placing my head on his shoulder. I let out a deep breath and feel my eyes welling with tears. "I don't even know what's wrong with me" I whisper.

"You are tired" he reassures me. "You have been through a lot. You need to rest. Go sleep when she sleeps."

"I feel like I need to watch her all the time. I count her breaths. I'm scared that something goes wrong. It's terrifying."

Mark laughs and I pull my head away from his shoulder to look at him. "Remember when Sophia was born? We would watch her in her crib or in the car seat just because we felt like something would go wrong? The poor girl didn't get more than 10 minutes of sleep at a time her whole first six months because one of us would wake her up just to make sure she was breathing. And she was fine. You are a doctor, Torres. You worry. But you also know deep down that she will be fine. She is fine. You are only so crazy because you love her. Go home, take a nap."

Mark's words do reassure me. My anxiety and stress has all been surrounding the thought that she was going to be taken from me. And having her safe on our sofa should put me at ease. "Let me tell my daughter goodbye…. Soph?" I call for her but she doesn't come running. "Sophia?" Nothing. Mark raises himself from the sofa and heads toward her room. I check the last place that I saw my daughter and my heart drops when I see the apartment door still open. "Fuck." I jump off of the sofa and call for Mark who I hear running from our daughter's room. I race through the door and see that my apartment is open as well. I stop at the door causing Mark to run into my back. With a dirty look his way, I step into my apartment. I find Sophia standing in front of Arizona just looking at her. Both of her hands are on the edge of the cushion and she is leaning in close to Arizona. Mark sees the same scene and his eyes find mine when I look back. I nod, telling him that he can go back home. He smiles and does so. The noise of the door shutting catches Sophia's ear and she snaps around to look at me, her eyes immediately finding the floor. I walk over to her and kneel in front of her, raising her chin to look at me. She does so and I see a frown on her face. "What are you doing over here?" I ask as quietly as possible.

Sophia's chin quivered and the corners of her mouth turned downward as she tried to speak. "I missed Momma." I pull my daughter in for a hug and kiss her cheek. "Is she gonna wake up?"

"Of course she is, sweetheart. She is just tired from her medicine." She nods into my chest. "What do you say we take a nap with her? You want to do that?" She nods again. Arizona's is laying with her injured side away from the back of the sofa, her face turned in the same direction. Pulling the blanket off of her, I pick up my daughter and lay her against the back of the sofa, half on Arizona's body. Sophia smiles and burrows deeper into Arizona shoulder and, without opening her eyes, Arizona instinctively wraps her right arm around the little girl. Sophia closes her eyes tight and nuzzles into Arizona's neck. After covering them, I raise the blanket at her feet and pull Arizona's legs onto mine as I lean back onto the arm of the sofa. Arizona shifts and turns her body toward Sophia and wraps both arms around her. My daughter looks as content as she could be nuzzled in the blonde's arms. Arizona's eyes flutter open and she finds mine instantly.

"Thank you" she mouthed. I give her a sweet smile and rub my hand up and down her legs. As her eyes slowly close I allow myself to take in the sight before me. How I could ever question my relationship with this woman or her love her me is beyond me. Watching her sleep with my…. Our daughter in her arms is all that I will ever need. That is until there is another smaller child on her other side. I slide down further on the couch and close my eyes, still thinking about the prospect of another Sophia or Arizona running around. I picture our wedding and how beautiful she will be in white. I picture our life up to this point and our whole life that we have ahead of us.

It's all going to be alright.


	46. Chapter 46

A/N Thanks for sticking around… and a special thanks to all those who review and add alerts for the story. You guys are awesome as always. This chapter is short but it is important. Happy times are to come, it has been way too long since happy times. The big day is coming! Hope you enjoy.

Arizona's POV

Well today is the big day. I have been home for two months. I have been back at work for six weeks. I have been back to my old self for about a month. The pain was pretty bad. It lasted about a month after Callie got me home. The worst was not being able to pick up Sophia or hug Callie, which didn't go over well with either of them. It got better though. Everything got better. And now, it's my wedding day. My parents are getting ready in the guest room. Callie and Sophia stayed at Mark's last night and will be getting ready there before heading to the park. We have been communicating by text message and she has organized our whole day to ensure that I do not catch a glimpse of her in the hallway before the wedding. She is trying to make this as traditional as a same sex wedding involving a bride's child can be. Her parents didn't come around. My father will be walking us both down the aisle, me first then her. I was so happy when she asked him. I just assumed that if her father would not be attending then Mark would walk her down the aisle. But when she asked my father two nights ago, I swear I saw him hiding tears. He wrapped her in a tight hug and made a joke about looking like an old man next to her. It was a good night. Mark will escort Sophia. She is, of course, the flower girl. And her dress is a replica of her mother's. I only know this because Callie told me. I have yet to see either of their dresses. Soph will be on her mother's side, right behind her, which I must say I am a little jealous about. I am ecstatic that she is able to be involved. And she is so proud of her role in all of this. She practices her walk, dropping imaginary flower petals across the apartment. I love that girl.

I check my make-up in the mirror for the fourteenth time in five minutes and I hear my bedroom door open. Silently hoping that it is Callie but knowing better, I smile when I see my mother appear from behind the door. "Hey Mom."

"Arizona. You look beautiful. We need to get going, are you almost ready?" She asks, toying with my hair.

"Just have to get the dress on. It's on the back of the door." My mother and I make eye contact in the mirror. I can tell that she is thinking. She gives me a sweet smile and wraps her arms around me, setting her chin on my shoulder.

"He would be so proud, sweetheart." Damnit. I knew that was coming. As soon as I finish my make-up she talks about Tim. I drop my gaze to my hands and shake my head. "You look beautiful."

"I… I miss him." I choke out.

"I know baby. But hey, he is here. All around us." Here come the tears. "And he is proud." More tears. Make-up is ruined. "I was watching Soph last night. Would it be crazy to say that I see him in her?"

I laugh and look at her, trying to feign surprise at her words. Truth is, I see him in her all the time. I know it is just my mannerisms that she has picked up that I picked up from him. But she is like a tiny version of my brother sometimes. She is overprotective and funny like a Robbins, smart and beautiful like a Torres… and a flirt like a Sloan for that matter. "You see Tim in Sophia?"

She smiles at nods her head. "In just the things she does. She is funny and wild. Just like you were as a kid. And she was looking through that book that Callie handed to her and she was concentrating on the words. Her eye brows scrunched together and she stuck her tongue out. You both used to do that. You still do that sometimes, by the way. Even Callie notices it. She gets that from you."

I laugh but it's true. I have noticed her little quirks. And they are adorable, but I may be partial. "I would hope she gets more from me than an unattractive face when she reads."

"She does" My mom says with a chuckle. "She got your stubbornness and your protectiveness. Your brother's protectiveness. She loves you. Almost as much as he did. I think the only one who has them beat is Callie." I wipe my eyes with a tissue and nod.

"If your intent was to make me late by ruining all the work I did on my face, job well done."

"Here, let me help." My mom spins me around and grabs several tubes of makeup that I have used to hide my scar which will now hide my red puffy eyes. After a few minutes she inspects her masterpiece and gives me a nod of approval. I pull her in for a hug before grabbing my dress.

"Well… here goes nothin."

Callie's POV

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I am late. Sophia is not ready. Mark is not helpful in the least. He looked like… well a man… trying to put finishing touches on my hair as I finished my makeup. I grabbed the hair spray and curling iron out of his hands before literally kicking him out of the bathroom. When I emerged several minutes later, however, Sophia was dressed complete with shoes. After a sigh of relief I ushered her into the bathroom to finish her hair. She asked… correction… demanded that I put lipstick on her so I did, even though I know it will be wiped off well before the ceremony. I then pretended to put mascara on her tiny lashes, just to appease her. So now we are ready. With my dress hanging in the back of the car, we are on the way to the park. If I thought my nerves were bad before, I was wrong. The butterflies this morning have nothing on the pterodactyls running amok in my stomach now. But this is what I want, it's my dream. It is everything that I have been waiting for. We are three whole minutes early to the park, and I had already factored in an extra twenty to make sure that the decorations and tables were perfect. I check decorations, mingle with a few guests, and head to the north side of the park, Sophia in tow, where a tented gazebo has been set up for my bridal party. Arizona opted out of her own gazebo, opting to meet her party at the open bar. With all five of them being cops, I chose to not argue. Arizona and her parents should be here in seven minutes… if they know what's good for them. As I walk to the gazebo I see Christina and Addison standing at the entrance seemingly arguing. Christina is throwing her hands in the air and Addison is pacing. Leave it to doctors to ruin a great day. "What now?" I ask, walking within a few feet of the women. Both of them freeze and look directly at me. "What's with the deer in the headlights? Fighting over primping space? Tequila run out?" My jokes fail miserably, neither of them cracking a smile. I immediately begin to worry…. Is it Arizona? Her parents? Did she back out? I'll kill her… "What….? What is it?" Nothing. I look between Christina and Addison, both immediately breaking eye contact as I look at them. Quickly picking out the weaker man… I close the distance between Addison and I. "Tell. Me. Now. What is it?" Addison looks quickly to Christina who is staring wide-eyed at her.

"Cal…"

"Fuck Addison… what is it?" She takes a deep breath and wrings her hands several times before answering.

"It's your parents..."


	47. Chapter 47

**Well the parents are in town and things are going to get a little tense. This chapter talks a little about religion. Nothing is meant to be disrespectful or defamatory and no offense is meant. It is simply how I view things and I how have written these characters beliefs. There is also a paraphrase that is not mine and I would love to give credit where it is due but I have no idea who wrote it. Just know that it is not mine. Be gentle guys, I was having a hard time trying to hash out the altercation. Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!**

Callie's POV

"It's your parents…" My parents. My Catholic homophobic parents.

"What are you talking about? Why?" My words were meant to be stern but they come out as a whisper and are soon followed by tears. My attempts to keep them at bay are futile and fleeting. "Where?"

Addison points toward the gazebo. "Mami….." Sophia pulls on my hand and looks at me with worry.

"Stay with Ms. Addy, sweetie, I will be back in one minute…" after I kill your grandparents. I take a deep breath and barge into the gazebo, as much as you can barge through a plastic flapping door. Standing hand in hand in my gazebo in my town at MY wedding are my parents.

"What are you doing here?" Thankfully I found my stern voice again. My father drops my mother's hand and takes a step toward me.

"Calliope…"

"No! Do not Calliope me, ok? What are you doing here? What did you come to bring me back home? To save me from ruining my life? To throw holy water on me? Because I don't need this. It is my wedding day! Mine! What the hell do you want?" My voice is loud and harsh, much more harsh than it has ever been when directed toward my parents. I look between the two of them and try to read an expression. As much as I feel like I need to protect myself from what I know is inevitably on its way, I still maintain some hope that they are here on a change of heart. That they are here to approve. To watch me get married. To accept me. But I know better. Each time I have allowed myself to hope for that I have been disappointed. My thoughts travel to Arizona and Sophia. There is no way in hell I am letting their day be ruined. No way that I will let Arizona see them. This is her day, too and she doesn't deserve this.

"Calliope…"

"What are you deaf? Do not Calliope me! What do you want? Because if it is to ruin this for me, you are going to be disappointed. You are not going to screw this up for me. So just say what you have to say and get out." I am surprised that I have been able to hold off the tears. I know they are threatening, but I haven't showed weakness yet. Nothing that they can latch onto. But when my dad steps toward me again I almost lose it. The last step before he reaches me brings the tears. I stare at him, tears falling.

"Mija" My father says, before opening his arms and pulling me into his embrace. I melt at his touch and bury my face into his shoulder, sobbing. I cling to his shirt, craving the feeling of his closeness which I have not felt in so long. At some point during out hug, my mother joined and wrapped her arms around me and him both. My breathing is erratic and my tears are uncontrollable. I am fearing the pain that I know is sure to come after I let my guard down. I fear the judgment and the embarrassment. I hear my father take a breath as if he were going to speak.

"No…." I speak before he is able. "Don't dad. Please. Just go." Just as stubborn as the daughter he raised, he ignores my request.

"Calliope…. You need to listen…"

Arizona's POV

The park is amazing. According to the agenda that my soon to be wife created, I am two minutes late to our pre-ceremony mingling. I hop out of my dad's SUV and head to the bar where I spot my entire wedding party. Hale, Terry, Lucy, and my old friend Erica must have known the importance of not testing a nervous Latina; they are already speaking at the bar. Holding my dress off of the ground as I make my way to the center of the park is difficult. Especially in my heels. The soggy Seattle ground doesn't make it any more pleasant. I glance to Callie's gazebo and see Addison and Christina talking to my beautiful little girl. She is talking animatedly and had her basket of flower petals lying next to her feet. I quickly look away, not wanting to see her dress in too much detail… I still want the element of surprise. I stop off to speak to some of mine and Callie's guests who are already seated for the ceremony. Small talk and big smiles abound. Most of my guests already know my parents but I am ecstatic to get to introduce Callie's guests to them. Of course there is time for this at the reception but I am too excited to wait. My father spots Mark and rushes off to speak to him. My mom speaks with Miranda then makes her way to Callie's gazebo. As she walks away I head to the bar.

"Mike! What's up?" I hit fists with my old Lieutenant, something so feminine and fitting for my disposition. We both laugh at our familiar introduction before he pulls me in for a hug. "Great. You have turned me into a hugger. No one hears of this, do you hear me?" I joke and am met with a laugh.

"Sgt. Robbins. Beautiful as always," Mike flirts. "Can't wait to see your girl. Where is she?"

"In her tent. Primping and cursing the clouds I am sure. Terry how you been?" I turn to my former partner. He gives me a kiss on the cheek and smiles. I make small talk with the rest of my party and order a drink before the festivities begin. I am doing better than expected in the nerve department. Only about 30,000 butterflies in my stomach, down from the 90,000 this morning. Last night was difficult not having Callie beside me. Though we have spent several nights apart with her our work schedules, knowing that she was off and that we were on the eve of such an eventful day, well I just wanted her with me. My parents took Sophia and Mark to get an after dinner dessert, leaving my future wife and I alone for a few hours before she left. That time was spent in a hot bath with Callie. We talked about the word wife and the weather for the wedding. We joked about our vows and shared our nervousness with the other. I didn't tell her but I am so glad that our engagement is coming to an end. Just as I was so glad that "dating" came to an end when we became engaged. I am so ready to call her my wife. So ready to be married. So ready to start the rest of my life with her and Sophia. If I could do it all again, not a thing would change. Except for maybe that whole Hahn and punctured lung thing. That shit still hurts.

"Arizona," My mom's words pull me out of my thoughts. "Arizona."

"Mom. What's wrong?" She looks out of breath like she has been running. I notice a worried look on her face and my heart drops. "What is it?"

"Callie's parents are here. They are with her right now." You have got to be kidding me.

"Her parents are here?" Anger immediately rises in my body and I feel my fists tighten. Putting down my drink before I crush it, I look to Callie's gazebo and begin walking toward it, only to be stopped by my mother's arm on my shoulder. "What the hell are they doing here? If they came here to try to change her mind… Hale, you brought your sidearm? I'll kill them." Hale's eyes go wide as I address him. My mother's grip tightens on my shoulder.

"Christina wouldn't let me in the tent or I might have done it myself. They were talking though. Not yelling. Maybe it will be ok. Maybe."

"  
>Mom, it will never be ok. After the shit….sorry, the crap they told her, the crap they put her through, you think they are just going to come to her wedding to say 'Oh sorry about that whole disowning you thing, my bad'? No they won't. They came here to change her mind. Let me go, I am going to see her." I shake from her grasp and try to storm to Callie. My heels keep sinking in the soft ground so they are quickly taken off and thrown toward the bar. I reach the gazebo and quickly push past Addison who is holding Sophia. She reaches for me and smiles but I look away, not wanting her sweet face to ruin my pissed-off mood. Christina stands guard at the door and she is quickly pushed aside. I fling open the plastic door ready to give the Latin couple a piece of my mind. The sight before me makes me stop in my tracks.<p>

Callie's POV

"Calliope… you need to listen…" I shake my head into my dad's shoulder, silently begging him not to do what I feel he is about to do. He uses his fingers to lift my chin. "Just let me talk, ok? Then I will allow you your time." I nod my head and take a deep breath. "Your mother and I have always been strong in our beliefs. And we raised our children to be strong in theirs. When you told us of your intentions with Arizona we felt betrayed. We felt as though you were throwing away everything that we taught you. Everything that we believed in." My father's words cut to my heart. "We spoke to people, Calliope. We were looking for support. We were looking for people to validate our concerns and our anger. But do you know what we found?" My eyes which had previously been studying the walls of the tent behind my father now met his own eyes. Where I expected his look of disdain, I found something else. Something softer. "We found just the opposite. Calliope we raised you to be faithful, to be strong, to follow your beliefs. Sweetheart, we were wrong." My breath hitches as I hear the words leave his mouth. "I have faith in how we raised you. I have faith in you. And your decisions. It was hard for us. It still is. But when Arizona said that we are making the choice to abandon you and our family, she was right. We were angry so of course it didn't change anything right away, but she was right. You two are perfect for each other. And you are doing an amazing job with your daughter. And I can see that you are happy. Let us make this up to you both. Please, let us be happy for you. Let us be there for our daughter." I look into my mother's eyes and she gives me a shy smile, reaching her hand out to touch my arm. I try to form words but all that comes out are quick inhales of breath as I try to process what has happened. Taking a few steps back, I lower myself onto the bench in front of my make-shift vanity. I stare at my parents with tears in my eyes before I hear voices outside of the tent. Arizona. Oh God.

Arizona's POV.

Christina stands guard at the door and she is quickly pushed aside. I fling open the plastic door ready to give the Latin couple a piece of my mind. The sight before me makes me stop in my tracks. My wife with tear stains on her beautiful face sits on a bench as her parents hover over her. They are killing her. And on her wedding day. Before my mind can censor my actions I am standing before them. My eyes bore into Carlos' deep brown orbs and I can see his surprise. A quick glance to Lucia and I begin pacing, never looking again to my beautiful bride with so much pain in her eyes.

"You know what? I just… I can't believe this. On this day? You had your chance to speak. You could have picked any day before today to do this but you pick today." My voice is angry and shaking. "You believe in the bible right? Well I have done my share of reading. I assume that when you came here to judge your daughter you based it on the writing of Leviticus. Am I correct?" I do not wait for an answer before continuing. "'You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female, it is an abomination.' Leviticus 18:6. You want to talk about sin? Let's talk about sin. I believe I read somewhere that it is a sin to not treat your body like a temple and that women shall wear head coverings. Lucia, unless you forgot yours today, looks like you got some explaining to do. Also I believe that it is written that a marriage is only valid if a woman is a virgin" I look to Lucia "… and that adultery is punishable by stoning" I look back to Carlos. "I believe that there is also prohibitions against tattoos, working on Sunday, eating pork, and playing with the skin of a pig… Carlos you aren't a football fan are you? You can come throw this crap at your daughter and she will be too respectful to call you on your shit, but I don't care anymore. You have your beliefs and I… we have our own. We believe in morality which is doing right regardless of what we are told, not religion which is doing what we are told regardless of what is right. You are welcome to your own interpretation of the bible, but for us, we need more than "I told you so" to justify certain things, and certainly to judge them." I am out of breath at the end of my rant. My palms are sweaty and I can feel the heat radiating from my face. I stop my pacing directly in front of the couple and stare unwaveringly into their eyes. "What's it gonna be?" Oh shit.


	48. Chapter 48

**A/N I am glad that you guys liked the last chapter. Thanks for all the reviews. You guys have waited a long time. Let's see if the wedding goes off without a hitch. Enjoy!**

Callie's POV

Oh god. She is screaming at my parents. Like screaming. If I didn't love every word that she was saying I might have stopped her. If I didn't think they deserved it I might have stopped her as well. But I didn't. And now they might kill her. I am pretty sure she just insulted both of my parents on a spiritual level. Alright. Silence. I need to make my move before they do. I slowly stand and walk behind my fiancé. I feel how tense her muscles are when I put my hand on her shoulder. She shrugs me off but I retain my position. Pulling on her left shoulder and pushing her right, I spin her around and lean in. My mouth ghosts over her ear as I whisper my parent's previous disclosure. "Baby, they are here to apologize." I look at my parents over Arizona's shoulder. "To both of us." I glance to her face and her eyes go wide, staring straight ahead.

"Stop t… stop talking" Arizona whispers, never blinking. Her ghost white face makes me smile and I kiss her on the cheek, leaning back in to her ear.

"That was incredibly hot." I spin her around to face my parents and see smiles playing across both of their mouths.

Arizona's shoulder slump forward and she drops her head. "That was such a good speech, too, damnit," she whines. My parents laugh and my mother is the first to move, taking a step toward the blonde and opening her arms. Arizona shuffles into her embrace and hugs her back, my father still smirking. He then takes his turn.

"Well Ms. Robbins, you sure have done your research."

She stares at the floor. "I, uh… yea. I'm sorry. Like super sorry. I thought you were coming here to take her away from me and it makes me kind of crazy and I just acted when I should have asked what was going on and if you ask Callie I do that often which drives her crazy but I have almost lost her once and then I got hurt and I just can't lose her again but that is no excuse for being disresp….."

Oh god she is rambling. "Arizona!... Arizona…." She finally stops and turns toward me. Her beautiful face contorts and her eyes fill with tears. She grabs me in a rough hug and begins crying on my shoulder. I swear this is a world record for tears before a wedding. I just rub her back for several seconds and hold her close to me. "Sweetie, it's ok. They aren't mad." I widen my eyes at my parents asking them to help me out with the hysterical blonde. "See, look, they aren't mad." Both of my parents come toward us and touch her back and shoulders, trying to offer comfort. She sniffles and takes a few breaths before pulling away from my shoulder. I wipe away the running mascara from under her eyes and give her a quick kiss on her lips. "I am pissed though. Just so you know." She raises her eyebrows and her frowns. "I wanted to wait to see your dress until I was walking down the aisle." I offer her a sweet smile and she kisses me again, harder. I quickly get lost in the feeling, expressing to her how grateful I am for what she just did for me, even if I didn't need it. My father clears his throat and Arizona jumps, pulling away. "What do you say we get this party started, huh?"

"So who do I need to fight to get to walk my daughter down the aisle?" My father's question makes my heart drop. I completely forgot about Arizona's father. I can't tell him that I don't want him escorting me now.

"I…uh… well dad… we already…"

"I'll take care of it" Arizona cuts in. "I'll talk to my dad.

"Are you sure? We already planned it this way" I question her.

"Of course. You deserve this. Besides… I was a little jealous that you stole my dad anyway." Arizona flashes her sweetest smile, dimples and all. I hug her tightly and whisper a thank you in her ear. "So since I already saw the dresses… you think I can steal some Sophia time before we take the plunge?"

I laugh. "You have a minute and a half. We are super late." Arizona lets out an excited squeal which totally throws her previous badass demeanor on its ass and runs out to grab our daughter. She enters the room with the little girl in her arms, Christina, Addison, and Mark directly behind her. Lipstick kisses cover Sophia's cheeks and Arizona hands her over Lucia to allow them to get reacquainted. "Alright, alright. Get your ass up there, Sergeant. We have a wedding to attend."

She smiles at my reference, quickly gives a round of kisses and a few more 'I'm sorry's' and runs out the door. "I'll be the one in white, you can't miss me."

Arizona's POV

Dear. Lord. I have no words. I walk swiftly back to my family and wedding party who tentatively watch me approach. I pick up my shoes which were placed on the bar and slip them back on my feet. Leaning my back against the bar and picking up my drink I exhale deeply and smile. The group lets out a collective breath and I have to break the news to my dad that he will only be giving away one woman today.

"Sweetheart, she deserves to have her father by her side. I am more than happy to escort just you." My dad ushers my mom to her seat in the front row. Miranda takes her position under the trellis of flowers. Callie's wedding party is lined outside of her gazebo and Addison nods her head in my direction, flashing me a killer smile. It's now or never. Our guests are seated and I must say that it is a great turnout. Nearly every chair is filled. Callie's side is filled with doctors and their spouses as well as other hospital staff and some patients that she has gotten close to over the years. Some just showed up without an invite after seeing the wedding announcement in the paper. My side is filled with cops and their families. Many of them wore their dress blues today, some just attending in civilian clothes. But there is definitely a sea of brass on my side, referring to the pins on medals that adorn dress police uniforms. I'm pretty sure my side will be solely responsible for the bar bill later tonight as well. With the exception of Christina and Mark.

The piano begins to sound across the park and I know that the time is close. We opted not to do the traditional escort of our party down the aisle since we have both men and women on each side. Christina is first to walk and she gives me a wink before she starts. Erica gives me a kiss on the cheek and begins her trek down the aisle. Next is Lexie. Then Terry. Followed by Addison then Hale then Lucy, each splitting at the end to stand on their respective sides. Next is my baby girl and her daddy. Mark hooks his arm out and Sophia gracefully places her hand on his bicep. As soon as they begin to walk I see Sophia shy into his hip. She is nervous. After all the practicing she has done, she is nervous now that all eyes are on her. Mark quickly picks her up and holds the basket with his right hand, allowing her to still grab the petals and throw them. Their backs are to me but I see the smiles on the guests' faces as they approach. I imagine her smiling face and immediately feel a rush of pride that she is here and she is mine. I am left standing without my wedding party and with just my father by my side. I had been watching the procession the whole time and had not even looked to my father. Now that I do, I see a bright smile across his face.

"Ready?" His husky voice is just above a whisper.

"More than ever" I smile. The music changes. I grasp my bouquet in my right hand and take his arm with my left. We pause for a brief second at the beginning of the aisle and everyone in the audience stands, turning toward me. I can't help but smile as I try to make eye contact with as many people as possible, offering my silent thank you for their attendance. About halfway down the aisle I turn my attention to the wedding party, trying to take in as much of the sight as possible. As soon as I make eye contact with Sophia, she claps and hops up and down twice. I widen my eyes to correct her but smile brightly and she offers me her mother's smile in return. I glance quickly back to the rest of the party and are met with big smiles and nods. I walk until I can't walk anymore and I turn toward my dad. Tears now fill his eyes and he pulls me in for a tight hug before kissing my cheek.

"I love you, dad. Thank you so much."

"I love you, sweetheart. You make a beautiful bride." He wipes away a tear and kisses my cheek again before leaving me and joining my mother. She offers a smile and a wink. I turn back to Sophia who is now standing directly opposite of me. As soon as I look into her eyes she darts from her position and wraps herself around my legs. Mark goes to reach for her but I wave him off. I pick up the five year old and give her a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. She does the same.

"You look pretty, Momma" She says, running her left hand on my face.

"You look pretty cute too, little girl. I love you."

"Loves you too!" I stand Sophia back on her feet and she skips back to her spot. Almost as if on cue, the music pauses for several seconds marking Callie's time. As the music starts again, the same march that played as I walked, the audience turn their backs to me and wait for the second bride to appear. I hear several "oohs" and "aahs" as she walks from her gazebo to the aisle but I keep my eyes averted, not wanting to see her until she is ready. And then she appears. Only fifty feet from me and on the arm of her smiling father. As if in a movie, my view pans from the floor to her perfect feet. White open toe shoes adorn her tanned feet and her nails are painted a bright red. The hem of her dress rakes across the top of her feet and lengthens in the back creating a stark white train that trails five feet behind her. The skirting is full and traditional. I see her feet move. Toward me. As my eyes travel further north. Her dress is cinched at the waist with a white ribbon and the bodice is adorned with clear stones. The top of the dress is heart shaped and covers her curves perfectly but not completely. There are two straps that are lost beneath the sea of black hair that falls in perfect curls across her shoulders. Her hair is pulled half up with bangs falling across her forehead. And then I see her face. My breath catches in my throat and tears immediately fill my eyes and I meet hers. She pulls her eyebrows together as she sees me begin to cry and I see her eyes fill as well. I drop my gaze momentarily, trying to stop the tears before the make-up is ruined for a twelfth time. But as soon as I find her eyes again, I am done. She is about half way down the aisle now in a painfully slow walk. Her lips are a bright red and her eyes are smoky and dark. Her face is perfectly made up but I wouldn't trade her "just awake, sweatpants and t-shirt, messy hair" look for the world. I find her stunning. Breathtaking. Amazing. I find her eyes again and she smiles brightly, showing her perfectly white teeth. I feel my face contort as all of the emotion of the moment comes to the surface. I swallow hard and look upward in a futile attempt again to stop the tears. But when I meet her face once more she draws her eyebrows up and together and lets out a half laugh, half sob. She takes a deep breath in and tears begin falling from her eyes. She keeps her eyes locked with mine until she has reached the end of the aisle. She turns to look at her father and I immediately feel the loss of connection, using the moment to try to regain my composure. I glance toward Sophia to see her reaction to her mother but she is looking at me with wide eyes, concern in her face. I give her a wink and my biggest smile to tell her that the tears are good, and I look back to Callie. She allows Carlos to kiss her cheek and they both turn toward me. He places her soft hand in mine and leans in to kiss my cheek then pulls back looking me in the eye.

"Treat her right," Carlos whispers. I smile and nod and lean in to kiss his cheek again. We both watch him take his seat next to Lucia before finding each other's eyes.

Callie leans in and places a chaste but long kiss in my lips. "Just couldn't wait" she whispers after breaking the kiss. I squeeze her hand, unable to find any suitable words to express just a fraction of what I feel at this moment. She smiles and squeezes mine in return as she motions toward Miranda. "Let's get married…"

**A/N2 I am pretty sure that this story will end after the wedding and maybe an epilogue to show the lives a few years down the road. I of course don't want to leave anything unanswered so if you guys have any problems with or suggestions for future chapters let me know! I would like to include what you guys want included but I don't want to keep dragging the story out is this is the logical end to is. Don't want people to start hating the story. Just let me know! Thanks guys!**


	49. Chapter 49

**A/N: Well guys this is it, barring an epilogue that I may write up for these two. Thank you so much for all the reviews and alerts. It made me keep going with this story. And of course thank you all for the suggestions. Hope you guys like this. And it is extra long as a nice parting gift. Thank you!**

Callie's POV

She is breathtaking. I can't get down this aisle fast enough. I have waited over three years for this moment. And to have my dad by my side and the love of my life in front of me, well it is everything that I hoped for and more. Arizona begins to cry when she sees me and I don't stand a chance. I am crying long before I reach her. When my dad places my hand in hers the butterflies dissipate. The tears stop. The music continues to play but it does not register to me. The only thing in my world is her. I steal a kiss before I have to tear my eyes away from her. "Let's get married…" I whisper to her. She smiles and nods, her chin still quivering with emotion. We keep our hands locked together and look toward Miranda. The music stops and she smiles.

"Well we are here today ladies and gentlemen" she addresses the audience, "to celebrate love, and happiness, and loyalty, and in my opinion, a little bit of magic. To bring together two exceptional and beautiful human beings. It is my understanding that these two women have written their own vows, so in that case, well I'll just shut up and let them do their thing." The audience laughs. "Ladies….."

Arizona is the first to speak. "Calliope. Nothing that I am going to say to you today is anything that you haven't heard before. And I am proud to say that. Never before have I met anyone who has made me lose count of the times each day that I say I love you, or that you are beautiful, or that I cannot imagine my life without you. You yawn in the morning and I fall in love. I hear you smile over the phone and I fall in love. I watch you walk down the aisle toward me, and I fall in love." Arizona sniffles and shakes her head, trying to clear the cloud of tears. "Calliope, when we first met, you were broken. I saw you as hurt and it was my job to get you help. To fix what hurt. Then I felt that it was my job to make sure you were ok. Well what started as a job turned into me wanting to be around you. Wanting to talk to you and see you. Just wanting to be near you. And as I was taking you home from the hospital, I realized….. I realized that I wasn't the hero. I didn't save you. You saved me. And then I met that little girl." She motions to Sophia behind me. "And I forgot about everything that I was before I met you two. I wasn't a cop. I wasn't a Marine's daughter. I wasn't a sister missing her brother. Everything that I was was in that apartment that day. And everything that I am is in you. Calliope you are the love of my life. The one who I would step in front of a bullet for. The mother of a little girl who I cannot live without. And I am so honored to be standing here in front of my family and friends telling them how much I love you. And I am so lucky to have you here listening. I promise everyday to love you. I promise everyday to cherish you. I promise everyday to take care of you. And I also promise that you will never have to wonder if you are enough. You will never have to question if you beautiful. You will never have to question if someone will be by your side forever. Because I will be there to answer those questions before you ask them. Thank you so much, for choosing me. For loving me. I love you so much. And I cannot live another day without calling you my wife." Arizona turns to Lucy who places a ring in her palm. She turns back to me and takes my left hand in hers. "Callie. This ring means that I am never far from you. That I will do everything in my power to be everything that you need. And it means that I am forever yours." Arizona slides the ring on my finger and squeezes my palm. She is perfect.

Arizona's POV

Whew. That went better than expected. Didn't trip over my words, didn't drop the ring. Didn't curse, that was a legitimate concern. I have said everything that I need to say. And it feels amazing. She turns to Mark and he pulls a ring out of his pocket, placing it in her palm. She turns back to me, locking eyes. "Arizona. It's funny that you brought up the first time we met because that is exactly what I was going to talk about. That day was scary. And painful. And a lot of things went through my head. Namely my baby girl and my poor car. But something that never left was you. I kept fighting people to get up and get back to you. Then when I woke up, you were there. You didn't leave my room until I went home. And you haven't left my heart since. It's a scary thing, love is. Because it wasn't just me involved. It wasn't just me that fell in love. And if you would have decided that I was too much or that you didn't want me, well it would have crushed me. But that is nothing compared to what it would have done to my baby. Arizona you accepted us when no one else would. I watched you change before my eyes. Where once stood a woman who liked hanging out with my kid... in her place one day stood a mother. Two people fell in love with you that day. When you held her in your arms and sang to her. Two people fell in love with you. And whereas I know that every other child we have will be just as in love with you as we are now, I am so proud to be the first. I promise to try to repay everything that you have given us. I promise that you will never go one day wondering if you are loved. And I promise that in me, you will always have a family. I love you so much. And I can't live without you." Wow. I stare at her stunned and she softly takes my left hand and places the ring on my finger. She is amazing.

"Are you two gonna kiss or what?" Bailey smiles when we become lost in the other's eyes. We both smile and lean in for a soft kiss. Callie places her hand on my cheek and runs her thumb over my cheek bone, pulling me closer. We break the kiss with big smiles and turn toward Miranda. "Well ladies and gentleman, it is my pleasure to announce for the first time, Mrs. and Mrs. Robbins-Torres." The crowd erupts into applause and everyone stands as we turn toward them. We take hands and take two steps down the aisle when Callie stops. I turn to find Sophia standing on her train and giggling. She pulls the little girl into her arms and places her on her hip directly between us. I lean in and place a kiss on her cheek, leaving a lip stick stain. Callie does the same on her other cheek. With an arm around my wife, all three of us walk down the aisle and toward the reception area. Tonight will be full of fun and drinks and stories. Tomorrow will start our new lives together. And I can. Not. Wait.

_Later that night_

Barbara's POV

The reception is nothing short of amazing. These two went all out to make sure that everyone has a wonderful time. Net lighting is strung across the top of four poles and underneath is the dance floor. I have yet to be able to pull my husband and my daughter off of said floor to have any family time. But watching them is one of the most special experiences a mother can have. The only thing that is missing is her big brother. I know that if he were here, I would be watching all three of them making fools of themselves for everyone to see. The sun has started to set and it is casting the most beautiful orange and red glow across the park. Arizona's friends have stationed themselves around the bar and only make their way to the floor when their drinks run dry. They are a rough crowd but they love my daughter. And that fact makes it a little easier to know that my baby carries a gun everyday and chases bad guys. When she first became a police officer I was worried. And that worry never went away. But I knew that she was born for it. She and her brother were both born for it. The common good. They are brave. And strong. And courageous. And amazing. Something that they no-doubt got from their father. I run from fear. The three most important people in my life, well they run toward it. And that is one reason that I know that my baby girl and her wife will be ok. They don't run when it gets tough. They buckle down and put on their game face, and they face it. They run into the gunfire. Together. I know in my heart that they will make it. Arizona could not have picked a better woman to share her life with. The way Callie looks at her, it is unlike anything I have ever seen for a couple so young. Seeing Tim in his relationships and even remembering the beginning of my relationship with my husband, it is different. The first few years are mostly lust and impatience. It takes a long time for the looks of pure adoration to come. It was several years into my marriage and actually a few months into my first pregnancy that I actually started noticing those looks from Daniel. The looks in which you can actually feel love. Where you feel security. Where you feel beautiful. And I have seen those looks passed between Callie and Arizona since the first time we saw them together. They are inseparable. Callie is a good woman. A good woman for my daughter. And some have thought me strange to find comfort in that phrase. But I have lost a son. My daughter risks her life every day. There is nothing in this world that could make me turn my back on my family. And luckily, they know that. I catch my daughter's eye from across the dance floor and she smiles brightly, walking toward me. She reaches my chair and leans in, kissing me on the cheek.

"Come dance, momma! We can find someone to hold Soph." I look down at the sleeping girl in my arms, worn out from the excitement of the day. Her face is that of her mother's, dark, smooth, and full. I give her a squeeze and smile at my daughter.

"No, dear. Your father is the dancer of the family. Go have a good time. I am going to get some more baby time before Callie's family comes to steal her." I offer my best smile and Arizona takes the bait. She smiles and kisses my cheek again, dancing her way back to the dance floor and taking her wife's hand, spinning her with the music. The lights dim and the music softens, signaling everyone but the new couple to leave the dance floor. I watch as both women slow their movements and take each other's hands in their own, dropping them in between their bodies. Arizona leans in and places her head on Callie's shoulder and Callie kisses her temple. The crowd takes their seats and watches the first dance. The music starts as the sun sinks behind the trees, the only light coming from the lights above the dance floor. Callie pulls my daughter's body flush against her as the music starts, her hands placed on either side of her hips. They sway with the soft guitar melody.

_Forever could never be long enough for me_

_To feel like I've had long enough with you_

_Forget the world now, we won't let them see_

_But there's one thing left to do_

_Now that the weight has lifted_

_And love has surely shifted my way_

_Marry me_

_Today and every day_

_Marry me_

_If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this café_

_Say you will_

_Say you will_

The two women sway back and forth on the floor, slowly spinning with the other. Callie has lowered her eyes and is staring into Arizona's, mouthing the words of the song through a smile. The radiant smile that my daughter wears is clear from across the park. Through everything that she has been through, through everything that she has had to endure, to see her in this moment is… breathtaking. I hug the sleeping form in my arms as tears begin to fall. I cannot take my eyes of them.

_Together could never be close enough for me_

_To feel like I am close enough to you_

_You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love you_

_And you're beautiful_

_Now that the wait is over_

_And love has finally showed her my way_

_Marry Me_

_Today and every day_

_Marry me _

_If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this café_

_Say you will_

Arizona has now placed her head on Callie's shoulder and has her face pressed into her neck. Callie's arms wrap around her and hug her close, turning her own face toward Arizona. She still whispers the lyrics of the song and the smile has not left my daughter's face. Her eyes are now closed and their bodies move as one, slower than the tempo of the song, both lost in their own moment.

_Promise me you'll always be_

_Happy by my side_

_And I promise to sing to you_

_When all the music dies_

_Marry me_

_Today and every day_

_Marry me_

_If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this café_

_Say you will_

_Say you will_

_Marry me_

The song slows and finally stops. The slow dancing of the couple stops several seconds after the music. They both pull from the other and smile brightly, signaling the eruption of applause and cat calls from the audience. My husband stiffens and looks around to find the source of the whistling but my hand on his knee and a smile causes him to relax and smile as well. Always overprotective. My eyes lock with my husbands and I see the tears threatening to spill from his eyes as well. This is the moment we have waited for. One that we were cheated out of with our son, but one that we will now cherish with our daughter. He blinks back tears and motions behind me. I turn to look and find Lucia approaching. My hold instinctively tightens on the child in my arms, trying to shelter her from what I know the woman is capable of. When she reaches me, however, she kneels in front of my and places a gentle hand on Sophia's shoulder.

"May I?" She asks. I look to my husband who is staring straight at Lucia, trying to find her motives. I shake my head softly and hand over the girl as gently as possible. When she switches arms she stirs slightly but wraps an arm around Lucia's neck and falls quickly back to sleep. I stand and offer Lucia my chair which she accepts after a smile. Wanting to get another look at my daughter on the floor, I look to where she was standing and see that she and Callie have both locked their eyes onto Lucia and I. Arizona wraps an arm around her wife and Callie wipes at the tears in her eyes. As the music stars again, several more people walk onto the dance floor. My husband stands, takes my hand, and pulls me along. He leads me directly to the center, beside our daughter. Another slow song starts and Daniel wraps me in his strong arms. Arizona does the same to Callie. The soft musical intro plays and couples file in around us. I stare into my husband's eyes and he slowly begins to sing the words to me.

_Every now and then I get a little lost_

_My strings all get tangles, wires all get crossed_

_Every now and then I'm right upon the edge_

_Dangling my toes out over the ledge_

_I just thank God you're here_

Daniel continues to sing the words to me as I watch my baby and her new wife dance beside me. Both so lost in the other.

'_cause when I'm a bullet shot out of a gun_

_When I'm a firecracker coming undone_

_When I'm a fugitive ready to run_

_All wide-eyed and crazy_

This line gets several calls from the cops in the group. Fist pumps rain over the crowd and Arizona laughs at her friends, silently apologizing to Callie who laughs as well. Callie gives her a quick kiss and pulls her into her body again.

_No matter where my reckless soul takes me_

_Baby you save me_

_I know I don't tell you nearly enough_

_But I couldn't spend one day_

_Without your love_

I lean my head on Daniel's shoulder as we sway with the beat. Turning my head once more to my daughter, I am surprised to see her alone. Callie has left her one the dance floor and Arizona stands still looking toward the crowd. As I follow her eyes, I see Callie standing in front of Lucia and both share a few polite words before Lucia stands and hands Sophia over to Callie. Callie turns and meets Arizona's eyes with a brilliant smile, making her way back to her spot on the floor. Sophia remains asleep, something that she definitely did not get from my daughter, as her mother carries her through the crowd. When she reaches Arizona, my daughter gives both girls a kiss on the cheek and she wraps her arms around the Callie's waist, the sleeping body in between them. I watch them for a few more minutes, completely lost in their own moment. Daniel hugs me tight as Callie leans in to Arizona and kisses her deeply. I turn my eyes back to my husband who clears his throat and raises an eyebrow at the couple, smiling slowly. Arizona slaps his arm and Callie laughs loudly. I have never seen my daughter this happy.

The night winds down and the women spend the majority of their time saying goodbye to guests. Some stick around to see the couple off. Sophia has woken up and follows Callie and Arizona around, matching their every move. She really is a wonderful little girl. So respectful and sweet. And so smart. Like her mothers. Mark and Lexie take her home so that she does not get upset when her mother's leave without her. Then the time comes to tell my baby goodbye. She and Callie both come up to Daniel and I and give hugs and kisses.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Robbins. For everything. Being here. Helping. Always being on our side. You have no idea what it means." Arizona nods her head with Callie's words. Being too tearful to answer, I simply take both of them in my arms. When I pull away, Daniel takes his place by my side. The girls hug him as well. Tears fill his eyes and he takes Callie's hand as they begin to walk away, turning her to face him. Arizona does the same.

"Take care of her. She is the only baby girl I have." Daniel speaks softly to the brunette.

She smiles sweetly and takes Arizona's hand in her own, squeezing and looking into her eyes before back at Daniel. "You have my promise."

I watch my two girls walk hand in hand out of the park, eager to start their new lives. They are absolutely perfect for each other. There will be ups and downs. There will be hard times and amazing times. I know that I will have to talk my daughter out of throwing in the towel at one point or another. But I will also be able to share in the talks about how amazing her family is. And how happy she is. And I know that those talks will outweigh the bad. They will definitely be ok.


	50. Chapter 50

Well here is the epilogue. I hope you guys enjoy it. Let me know what you think. I am a little sad wrapping this story up but I think that this is a good ending place.

Sophia's POV

"Mami, Seriously? We have to go. Get your shi…..Get your stuff." That slip of the tongue would have definitely gotten me a pop on the mouth. But seriously, she is taking her own sweet time like this is all fine. Meanwhile, Mom is in the car sucking air and trying not to drop a kid on the floor board. Sarah rushes out of her bedroom with a plastic bag slung over her left arm and her favorite stuffed animal in her right. Sarah, my baby sister, is four, eight years younger than me. Her tanned skin resembles mine and my mother's, but unlike my plain brown eyes, hers are bright green, and her hair is a few shades lighter than mine. I hate her for them, but only because I am fiercely jealous. But she is my little sis. The same little sister that has been sleeping in my bed with me for the past two weeks since Mom had a bout with Braxton Hicks Contractions. She was home from the hospital later that day, but Sarah was pretty traumatized by the whole thing. She has literally been clinging to me and our moms for days on end. I grab the bag from her arm when I see her struggling under its weight and ask her to go to the car. She shakes her head no and waits by the door. "MAMI! What the he…."

"Sophia Torres, you better watch it," she demands as she rushes from the back of the house with two huge bags in either hand.

"Well it is about time! She is about to pop"

"POP?" Sarah calls from the door, eyes wide. Mami looks to her then back to me, opening her eyes wide, silently telling me to watch my words.

"No baby," she calls, ushering her younger daughter out of the door and following her. "Momma isn't going to pop. That is just something people say when someone is going to be having a baby soon. Yay! Baby!" She raises her voice about ten octaves to try to get Sarah on board with the whole "Baby=Good" thing. She isn't buying it. I lock the door from the inside and slam it shut behind me. Scaling the three steps of the porch, I catch up to Sarah as Mami is rounding the car. I open the door and pick her up quickly. She rushes over to her booster seat and plops down, looking to me to pull the seatbelt around her tiny body. I do so, Mami belts herself in, and we all silently look to Mom. She is taking short, quick breaths and has beads of sweat all over her face, her blonde hair covering the headrest of her seat. I see a smile break across Mami's face and she reaches her right hand up to Mom's face.

"NO… Put your foot on the gas and get my ass to the hospital." I laugh quietly at her harsh words and Mami shoots daggers into my eyeballs via the rearview mirror. I take a quick look back to our home before we pull out of the driveway. The two story white house with shutters and a yard is a far cry from the small apartment we all shared just before Sarah was born. It was a hard decision for them to leave it, but they said that we were outgrowing it. And we were. The year before Sarah was born, my half-brother Jack was born. When my dad and Mrs. Lexie were working, he would spend nights at our apartment. I loved it, but when Mami was finally able to get pregnant, they decided that a bigger space was in order. We moved a few miles away into a neighborhood. My dad and Mrs. Lexie still have their apartment, but we still keep 5 year old Jack after school sometimes when their schedules overlap. I don't remember much about my mom's pregnancy with Sarah. My moms have pretty open lines of communication with me, though, so I know a lot more about the whole process than I would like to. Sarah's father was anonymous. They only know what he looks like. But my dad plays a big role in her life. She calls him Mr. Mark, not dad. But he is a male figure and my moms think it is important that she has that. The new baby's donor is the same as Sarah's. My moms also thought it important to have a link between all of their children. I am linked to Sarah through our biological mom and Sarah is linking to the new baby through their biological dad. Mom had a long talk with me when they decided that she would carry. She was indifferent about who would carry the baby but Mami seemed to want her to do it, and she can never say no. She was worried that I would be upset not having a biological link to the new baby. Not having the same mom or biological dad. To be honest I never really thought of it. "Family" has always had a different meaning than the tradition definition in our home. I have three parents that are all involved. Sarah has three parents, only two of which are involved. And the new baby will be the same. And I know that Arizona is not my "biological mom" but in all honesty, I feel no different about her than I do about my Mami. She has kissed just as many scraped knees; she has gone to just as many parent-teacher conferences. She keeps pictures of me on her desk. She calls me her daughter. And she always has. So this baby won't be any part of me… so what? It won't be any part of Mami either, but that doesn't mean that it isn't hers. Just like I am no part of my mom's, but she doesn't consider me any less. I do wonder if she will feel differently about him than she does about me and Sarah. I know that she loves me and I know that she loves Sarah, but I do sometimes wonder if the biological link will be stronger. I told her how I feel and of course she told me that she could never love anyone more than she loves me and my sister. She told Sarah the same thing but she is still too young to know what she really meant. I lean forward and place my hand on my mom's shoulder as support which gets a smile directed at my from the driver.

"Call Aunt Addison, Soph. Tell her we are five minutes away." I am pulled out of my reverie by my Mami's quick words. I quickly grab her phone out of her purse in between her seat and Mom's. I look to Sarah and see nothing but fear in her face. Her eyes are wide and locked onto our mom.

"She is going to be ok" I whisper to her. Her eyes snap to mine and her bottom lip sticks out slightly as I voice her concerns. "Mami was the same way when you were in her belly. Just meaner! Like super mean. And super sweaty. It was disgusting." I scrunch my nose for affect and a small smiles plays across her mouth. "Here, you want to take to Aunt Adds? We need to tell her that we are five minutes away." Sarah nods her head quickly, jumping at the chance to help. I scroll through the numbers until I find the correct one. I then hit the call button and hand the device to my sister. She holds it clumsily against her ear as her mouth hangs open, waiting for the familiar voice on the other end. After speaking with the redhead, Sarah hands the phone to me and looks back to our blonde haired mother struggling in the front seat. Sarah and I have had a few talks about the new baby and I know she is excited. But she has a soft spot for the blonde just like I did when I was her age. She is fiercely protective over her stuffed animals and her moms, and seeing one of her objects of affection in pain is scary. Though Sarah was born to our Mami, she is really close to Mom. She was the one that took six months off of work when Mami had to go back for surgeries. And since she has gotten pregnant she has been working from home so she isn't as inclined to run out and help her guys when they get in trouble. It has been nice having her home all of the time. Mami isn't the only one who worries about her when she is on the road. I know I don't remember my life before she came into it. I was only like four months old. But I couldn't have asked for someone more perfect to grow up with. And yes, I am 12 years old and am talking nicely about my mother. Some of my friends are starting to go through the "my parents suck" phase and, though we have our disagreements, I am always reminded by Mami that she didn't have to stay. She didn't have to be here. She chose to. And they complement each other well. When Mami is all grumpy from surgeries, Mom always seems to be able to calm her down and keep us happy. When Mom is on a rampage from being all fat and uncomfortable, it usually just takes Mami bringing home some blue baby clothes for her to realize that it's worth it. Remembering how scared I was when Mami started going into labor, I take pity on Sarah. Stretching my seatbelt to its capacity and leaning forward in between her seat and the side of the car, I whisper into her right ear. "She is scared, Mom. She thinks you are hurt." She nods quickly and waits for me to sit back before looking over her shoulder at her youngest girl.

"Baby girl, I know I look crabby right now, but I am ok. Alright?" She reaches her left hand across the car to place it on Sarah's knee and Sarah takes Mom's hand in her own. "And as soon as we get to the hospital, Momma is going to get some medicine and it won't hurt so bad." She looks to her wife on her left and raises her voice a little. "Lots of medicine… isn't that right Mami?"

"Zona, I thought you wanted a natura….."

"MEDICINE…. Medicine will be had. Lots of medicine…" She turns back to Sarah. "And everything will be ok! Then we get to take home a new little baby brother. Isn't that exciting?" Sarah nods her head excitedly and smiles which quickly fades when Mom is hit with another contraction. Just as the string of curse words begins to leave her mouth, Mami screeches the car to a halt on the ambulance ramp.

I am the first out of the car, opening Mom's door and taking her hand. Addison comes through the door with a wheelchair and Mami and I help her into the seat. I rush to help Sarah out of her seat as Mami tosses the keys to an intern, then we are in the building. After a ride in the elevator to the OB floor and a few turns down different hallways, and we reach the room. Aunt Addison and Mami help Mom out of her clothes and into a gown and help her onto the bed. When Aunt Addison starts the exam, Mami waves us up to the head of the bed.

"Fully effaced and 8 centimeters. And you're water has already broken?" Aunt Addison asks.

"Yes" My moms answer in unison.

"Are you feeling the urge to push? Any pain?"

"Are you fuc….Are you kidding me?" Mom shouts. Mami places a hand on her forehead and pushes her back down on the bed before speaking.

"The uh… the birthing plan has changed. We are now going to try an epidural" Mami advises the doctor.

"Well it is pretty late in the game… I will see what I can…"

"LATE IN THE GAME?" Mom shouts, raising her head off of the bed again. "Addison I swear to all that is holy if you don't get the damn needle righ…"

"Got it! Got it! I will be right back" the poor redhead concedes and rushes out of the room.

"Arizona, I know it hurts baby but you can't be mean to the doctors." She leans in to hear ear trying to keep her words from reaching my sister and I. "The fate of your vagina is in her hands. Don't piss her off." Mom's eyes slowly find Mami's and she all but growls at her statement. "Alright girls, out you go. It looks like it is almost time!" Just as Mami begins to usher us out of the room, Aunt Addison bursts the door open with a slew of staff behind her. We weave our way through pink scrub clad nurses and doctors and Mami gives each of us a kiss before pointing us to the waiting room. "Grandma and Grandpa will be here to stay with you girls in a little bit. Be good. Soph, take care of your sister. I will be out as soon as I can. Ok?" We nod. "I love you, girls."

"Love you too, Mami." I say before Sarah mimics my words.

"And tell Momma I wuv her, Pwease."

"You got it, baby girl," Mami answers. "Now scoot!" She pops Sarah on the bottom and points toward the waiting room again. We take a few steps in that direction but I peak one more time through the window to her room, just in time to see our dark haired mother take her wife's hand and give her a long kiss on her forehead. For the first time this morning I see Mom smile, she looks up and mouths some words that we of course cannot hear, but seeing her in a more consolable state puts my mind at ease enough to be able to walk to the waiting area. I take Sarah's small hand in mine and again take the bag which she has hoisted over her shoulder. "What do you have in here?" I ask as we walk.

"Bobby and Walph and Wally" she names her three other favorite stuffed animals, aside from Frank in her arm, or as she calls it, 'Fwank'.

"Bobby, Ralph, and Wally, huh?" She nods. "Anything else?"

"My fwame wif da picshure of us and Momma and Mami." The same picture she snuck into her first day of preschool and on her sleep over's at my dad's. She really is nervous. We find our seats in the waiting room and I pick up a magazine, trying to blend in with the few other people in the room. Before long Sarah is asleep on my shoulder, Fwank secure in her arm. Mami peeked out of the room a few times to make sure we were still behaving and weren't terrorizing any staff. About an hour later Grandma and Grandpa rush into the room. I shake Sarah awake and we both run to the door to greet them. Grandpa gives me a tight hug and lifts me up, spinning me. That is his signature hug. He does the same with Sarah and I am wrapped up in a tight hug by Grandma who then lifts Sarah into her arms and takes her seat. I catch them up on what I know. Grandpa doles out two blue bubblegum cigars to my sister and I. Now we just wait.

It is about thirty minutes later that Grandma's cell phone rings. She answers and gives directions to the waiting room before hanging up and throwing the phone in her purse. I am lost in my conversation with her and Grandpa about school and my grades and gymnastics when I hear familiar voices.

"Abuelo, Abeula!" Sarah shouts, jumping off of Grandma's lap and rushing to the spitting image of my mother.

"Hola, Mija!" She croons. I hop off of my seat and wrap my arms around my Abeula's waist. We switch hugging partners and then my grandpa's shake hands while my grandma's hug. The women catch up on my Mom's progress while the men talk about…. Something. I don't really pay attention. Just then my Mami rushes out of the room and walks quickly toward us. She smiles brightly when she sees everyone waiting.

"Mom, Dad! Ah, thanks for coming! We were hoping you would be able to come in."

"Mija, we wouldn't miss it for the world!" Abeulo says. "My first grandson..."

"He has already bought a baseball glove, can you believe that?" Grandma laughs. Mami laughs too, which puts Sarah and I at ease.

"Well, she is doing great. Addison says it won't be long. She has been pushing for about an hour. Just waiting for him to decide he is ready to join us." A few words of encouragement sound in the room and Mami gives a round of kisses before rushing back to the room. Any minute now….

_Three hours later_

Grandma, Grandpa, Abuelo, Abeula, Sarah, Mami, and I are whispering in the room while Mom sleeps. She is spread out on the hospital bed, Mami keeping vigil by her bedside and holding her hand. She said that the delivery went well resulting in a 9 pound 9 ounce baby boy. He has been checked out and everything is fine, he even scored a 9 on his APGAR scales. And yes, I know what the APGAR scale is, having a doctor for a mom and a paranoid first-pregnancy other mom has increased my knowledge of this kind of stuff tremendously. My little brother is now getting his first bath by the medical staff. A  
>knock on the door ends our light banter and Addison walks in, baby wrapped in her arms, another staff member trailing behind her with a hospital bassinette. A series of "aaww"s and "oohh"s fall out of everyone's mouth as Mami meets Addison in the middle of the room. The transfer of the little boy into our mother's arms makes him whimper, instantly waking my sleeping mom.<p>

"I hear my baby," she mumbles, groggily. "And we have company," she smiles lazily at everyone. "Cal, let me see him."

"Ok, ok, baby. Relax." She smiles and makes her way to the bed.

Mom shifts and tries to sit up, grimacing at the effort. Aunt Addison and I am instantly at her side, Sarah on my heels. We try to lift her, probably hindering her more than helping, but she allows us to help. She scoots toward us and wraps an arm around me. I lean in and she places a kiss on my cheek. She tousles Sarah's hair and leans over to kiss her forehead. "Hey, my girls." Mami sits on the bed next to her and shifts the baby to rest closest to Mom. Pulling back the blanket, she reveals a sleeping boy with blonde fuzzy hair and a fair complexion. My grandparents are immediately behind me crooning over the little boy.

"Well," Mami looks and Mom, "We agreed to wait until we saw him… what are you thinking for the name?"

"Let me get a good look at him…" She pulls the blanket from around his face and pulls his arms free, holding one of his tiny hands. Mami strokes the other. "What do you think about Samuel?"

"Hm… Sam…. Samuel Timothy…. I like that." She smiles at the blonde.

Mom looks at us. "What do you think girls, you like Sam?" We both nod our heads and smile.

Baby Sam is passed around the room, receiving hundreds of kisses and hugs from his family. Mami and Mom are quite patient in getting their baby back, allowing everyone to have their turn. Sarah is successful in following Sam to each new person that holds him, making sure that he doesn't cry or fuss. If he does make even the slightest sound she is consoling him with a pat to his head or his back. Mami gives mom a quick kiss and says something about getting some water before walking out of the room. I take the opportunity to steal her spot on the bed and give my mom a hug. She wraps an arm around me and we watch the scene in front of us. I am so happy that he is healthy and that our mother is doing well. My fears of being loved less now that she has a biological child in the world now start to surface. It may be juvenile, but I have always been able to talk to her about anything.

"Mom.."

"Yeah, baby?" She answers. I am tucked under her chin and she places a kiss on the top of my head before I continue.

"I know we talked about this already, and I don't want you to think that I am jealous or anything like that. I love Sam, already. And I am excited to have a little brother. I just need to know…."

"Soph… What is it honey?"

"Well he is your real son. And I am just an adopted daughter. I just am feeling kind of….. Ugh… this sounds stupid… I mean he is a baby."

"Sophia look at me." She demands. When I don't, feeling embarrassed of the tears in my eyes, she lifts my chin and meets my eyes. Her blue eyes bore into mine. "You are MY daughter. Always. And you will always be my first child. I could not love anyone any more than I love you no matter how hard I tried." I nod my head and bury it under her chin again. "I need you to do something for me, ok? You have to keep me in check. Babies need a lot of attention and moms can sometime get caught up in them. I need you to be the one to make sure that I remind you and Sarah how important you both are to me. Just give me a little help. Because I don't ever want you to think that you girls are not the most important thing in the world to me. " I nod my head again. "Now go get that baby, we need to introduce him to his big sister."

I hop off of the bed with a smile and Grandma groans when she has to hand over the infant. As soon as I take him in my arms he nuzzles into my chest and my heart swells. I walk gingerly to the bed and hand him over to our mom so I can climb up. As soon as she hands him back to me, Mami walks back in the room and places a large cup of water and a small bottle on the bedside table. She gives me a kiss on the forehead and hoists Sarah into her arms. I scoot over just a bit to allow her room to sit. With Sam positioned in my arms and my mom's arm around me, Mami and Sarah scoot up to my side.

Mom leans in and whispers in my ear. "You will always be my baby girl."

And I know that I will. Almost a teenager or not, this family is the most important thing in my life. They say that all a kid needs a mother and a father. Some say that two women cannot raise a child like a man and a woman can. Some also say that it is wrong for a woman to choose a life with another woman. And I have a father, so I might not be qualified to speak on matters like this. But if every child had at least one parent that gives them half as much reassurance and love that mine do, then every child would be lucky. I don't claim to have the best family in the world. My moms get grumpy. They argue sometimes. Sometimes Mami isn't home for dinner. Sometimes we aren't the best kids. But there has never been a time that I questioned if I was loved or wanted or cherished. There has never been a time that I have gotten away with disrespect. There has never been a time where I didn't feel safe. Looking at the innocent little boy in my lap, I feel proud of the family that he has been born into. I am proud of how well he will be taken care of and how much he will be loved. Sarah will show him how to love a stuffed animal and how to sneak pictures onto overnight trips, I will teach him how to do a backflip and how to kick a ball, Mami will teach him how to speak Spanish and how to do CPR, just in case a kid goes down on the playground, and Mom will teach him how to shoot a gun and how to protect the things that he loves. That is what she does best.

A/N: Well I hope the epilogue didn't disappoint. The girls have three little ones now to look after and their life seems to be in a good place. I wanted to end it with hope and leave a little to the imagination. Thank you all for following the story and continuing to comment and thanks for the encouragement to write the epilogue. Thanks again!


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